A BRADFORD family is on a mission to raise more than £24,000 to fund life extending cancer treatment after years of "gruelling" therapy.

In February 2019, Marie Hackett from Heaton was diagnosed with stage 3B cancer, enduring major surgery, 18 weeks of chemotherapy and 31 consecutive days of radiotherapy and brachytherapy.

After being told in October that Marie had no signs of cancer, her family described seeing a "glimmer of hope at the end of the tunnel" but all that changed in a matter of months.

Her partner, Tim Hey-Wilson, said: "I wish we could say that she started to feel better and more like herself after the tough year she’d had, but she was exhausted, still in pain and experiencing what we thought were side effects of the treatment, all of which steadily got worse over the following months. Then on 12th May, 2020, we were devastated to be told that the cancer had returned and had also spread to her lungs.

"Again our world was to be turned upside down. Having to go through all of this once is scary and life changing enough, but to learn that she is going to have to go through it all again is absolutely heartbreaking."

After the diagnosis of secondary cancer, Marie's medical team decided against surgery and she will be starting chemotherapy sessions soon.

However this time the family are desperate to access alternative treatments that are currently unavailable through the NHS.

Tim said: "Our plan is for her to consult with a specialist oncology clinic on Harley Street, London, for extra consultations and additional prescription medications that have been shown in some clinical trials to slow the growth and the spread of tumours.

"We are also exploring other treatment procedures that include CBD oil and a finely tailored nutrition plan.

"This multifaceted approach obviously adds up to a lot of money, money that we simply don’t have, so I’m appealing for literally anything you can kindly spare.

"We want to tackle this with more than just the conventional treatment available through our NHS. We want try several other options that are available to us, in the hope that the tumours shrink into remission and it will be finally gone for good this time."

More than £14,000 has been raised so far with Bradfordians rallying round to help with raffles and hosting online events to boost funds. The family have expressed their gratitude towards those who have contributed to help the mum-of-one to Charlotte and grandparent to little Emilia. To donate, visit the Just Giving page here.