Eastbourne scout leader hopes to raise money for mother’s brain cancer treatment which costs £150,000 a year

Sam Huggett, who is a long-serving leader at 2nd Willingdon Beaver Scouts, is raising money as her mother Annette needs specialist treatment in America that is not funded by the NHS. The treatment currently costs around £17,500 per month, and to receive it until the end of the year would set the family back approximately £150,000.

Sam said: "As a family we simply can’t begin to find this amount of money, so we are pinning our hope on the kindness of strangers. Strangers who we hope will consider donating to help her have a little bit more time with us.”

The scout leader explained that back in January her mum had a number of unexpected and frightening seizures one night and it was sadly discovered that the cause was an aggressive brain tumour, which meant Annette had to undergo major surgery.

Sam added: “The good news is that she recovered well, however they gave us the bad news that they weren’t able to remove all of the tumour. Things got worse when tests revealed she had a high-grade glioblastoma. This is an incredibly aggressive brain tumour, one which will drastically reduce her life span.”

Annette had planned to retire this year and travel, but her plans have had to be cancelled due to the diagnosis.

Sam added: “My mum has spent much of her life living healthily so it is a great shock to us all that she is facing such a life-altering brain tumour diagnosis.”

Annette has since started a six-week course of radiotherapy and chemotherapy, which includes going to the hospital everyday.

Almost £2,500 has been raised so far as donations have come in from friends, family and strangers.

Sam said: "It's amazing to see how much love and support we've received from our community. We've always tried to give back in any way we can, and now it's our turn to ask for help. We're so grateful for every donation and every message of support."

To donate please visit the family’s fundraising page at https://www.gofundme.com/f/fund-optune-cancer-treatment-for-annette?utm_campaign=p_cf+share-flow-1&utm_content=undefined&utm_medium=copy_link&utm_source=customer&utm_term=undefined

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