A fundraising appeal has been launched for a former health care worker from Warrington Hospital, who is battling a rare brain cancer, which was diagnosed just months after her husband had also been found to have a brain tumour.
Azanith Watts, aged 39, who worked at Warrington Hospital before transferring to nearby Halton Hospital, has already undergone major surgery to remove brain tumours – but then received the devastating news earlier this month that they were growing back – and her only option is a treatment not funded by the NHS.
Her husband Mark Watts, 54, was told he had a benign tumour called an Acoustic Neuroma in November 2019.
Then in June last year doctors discovered Azanith also had a brain tumour which was later found to be cancerous.
Azanith, who works for the NHS in Theatre Support, had first started experiencing headaches at the start of the coronavirus pandemic in March.
Now after hearing cancer has aggressively returned, her sister Amy Howe, who lives in the Philippines has launched the fund-raising page which has already raised over £10,000 in a week.
She said: ” Azanith has been suffering from LUPUS since she was 17 and this came with different illnesses like fibromyalgia, arthritis, Raynauds, Sjogren’s, anaemia – all of which have made living a normal life extremely challenging. She also has to deal with the side effects of all the drugs that she is taking. Further, LUPUS attacks the patients’ organs, and in her case, her kidneys, she developed Stage 4 Chronic Kidney disease.
“Despite everything she has been through, and how she feels, she strives to remain positive. She continued working in a few companies for many years including working for the NHS (National Health Service) and despite her illness never applied for unemployment benefits. She worked hard, continued taking her medicines, and strove hard to try to live a normal working life despite the pain she was feeling on a daily basis.
“In June 2020, she was diagnosed with a much bigger illness, CNS Lymphoma, a rare type of cancer that affects the central nervous system of the brain and spinal cord. Her symptoms were unbearable – extreme headaches, nausea, vomiting, and changes in mental alertness along with confusion and disorientation. Her husband took her to the Emergency room where they found that she has 3 big lesions on her brain.
“After only a few days, she was urgently scheduled to undergo a Double Craniotomy and Craniectomy (brain surgery) to surgically remove the tumours from her brain – it was so critical that if they were not removed immediately, it surely would have cost her life. She was already on the brink of death during the surgery as there were further complications and they had to reopen her skull the second time to remove the pressure. As of today, there’s a tender big dent in the right part of her head as she needs further surgery to reattach the part of her skull that was removed for the brain surgery. It is called Cranioplasty.
“Less than a year after the surgery, she was still not getting better. She kept on getting headaches fatigue and nausea. And we thought it was only because of the surgery and she was still recovering. Azanith’s husband Mark is currently working part-time but he himself also has a tumour in his head, although it is benign, he is still experiencing fatigue and pain, so he was forced to work part-time. He really wants the tumour to be removed but who will look after him while my sister Azanith is still recovering and in such a condition? They both have no parents who can help them. This COVID-19 situation has exasperated the problems.
“Unfortunately, just this month (May 2021), it was confirmed that she has a cancer recurrence and another tumour had grown in her brain, in the same area where the last one had been removed. This explains why she again experiences unbearable headaches, nausea, vomiting, unexplainable feeling of tiredness etc.
“She has been informed by the specialists that the tumour is most likely the same as the previous one which was malignant and fast-growing. There are limited ways on how the Specialists can tackle the recurrence. Another surgery to remove the growth is impossible because her kidneys are at a dangerously low 16% functionality. Her neurosurgeon said that her kidney might shut down during the procedure because of general anaesthesia. Standard chemotherapy is an option but a 50% function level of kidneys is needed to be eligible. It is also not feasible for her to undergo a kidney transplant because her cancer needs to be in remission for at least 5 years before she can have it, according to her Nephrologists.
“Frustratingly, it appeared that every treatment option came to a dead-end. There is one treatment suggested by her Specialists, called Cytotoxic T Cell. These are effectors cells that destroy virus-infected cells, tumour cells, and tissue grafts that exist in the cytosol, or contiguous nuclear compartment. The doctors are positive that this may be the only treatment that may effectively help her fight this battle. This treatment costs £13,500GBP! The UK government pays for hospital bills and other treatments like chemotherapy. But this medicine “Cytotoxic T Cell” is not included. We can never afford such treatment. But she does not want to lose hope! I do not want to lose hope either! I am positive that there are kind-hearted and honest-hearted people out there.
“I am pleading and asking those who have generous hearts to please help my sister Azanith. Her great faith in her Creator helps her a lot in her determination to live. She still wants to live. At 39, she still wants to do a lot of things. When she gets better she wants to go back to work. She wants to do some volunteer work also to help people have wonderful hope for their future.
“She has “Maya”, her dog who also knows her situation. Azanith knows that Maya feels for her. Maya is very aware of what my sister is going through. Maya is distressed when my sister is suffering; Maya gives her strength also.
“I apologize for asking for your help as I understand we all have our own struggles in life but this may be the only way she gets the chance to continue living. Any amount, no matter how small, is very much appreciated. Thank you very very much!”
Donations can be made via https://www.gofundme.com/f/my-sister-azanith-wants-to-live-brain-cancer
