A mother from Lancashire has been forced to raffle her family home to pay for life-saving cancer treatment after claiming doctors initially dismissed her debilitating symptoms as the menopause.
From Menopause Symptoms to a Devastating Diagnosis
Claire Nutter, a 48-year-old former beauty therapist from Roughlee, Lancashire, endured severe headaches, dizziness, and fainting spells for months. She says during numerous visits to her GP, medical professionals attributed her condition to menopause, leaving her feeling "fobbed off".
"When you look back, my symptoms were very typical of someone who has a brain tumour," Claire stated. "I was passing out, I felt sick when I went from sitting to standing." Her persistence eventually led to a scan and the heartbreaking diagnosis of an oligodendroglioma, a slow-growing brain tumour.
Doctors have given Claire a life expectancy of 10 to 15 years, with only six or seven "good years" before the tumour's effects become severely apparent. "I have been told I have a life expectancy of 10 to 15 years with six or seven 'good years' before you would be able to tell I had a tumour," she explained.
Exhausting NHS Options and Seeking Hope Abroad
Claire has since undergone three operations, but surgeons could only remove half of the tumour. Chemotherapy was unsuccessful, and radiotherapy was considered too risky due to potential side effects. With no further treatment options available on the NHS, Claire and her family began a desperate search for alternatives.
The diagnosis has radically altered her life. She can no longer drive and struggles with social anxiety in crowded environments. "When people are all around me, it's given me a type of social anxiety and I can't cope with crowded spaces," she said.
A friend then told her about a specialist clinic in Germany offering a pioneering treatment not available in the UK. The programme involves creating a personalised 'vaccine' from her own cancer cells. However, the cost is staggering: £350,000 for the treatment alone, plus travel expenses for multiple sessions.
The Heart-Wrenching Decision to Raffle a Family Home
To raise the enormous sum, Claire made the agonising choice to raffle the £800,000 home she has lived in for 21 years. Tickets are priced at £5 each on Raffall.com, with the draw set to run for six months.
"I have lived here for 21 years - it is my home and I love the area we live in," Claire admitted. "I got upset the other day when we were setting up the raffle page, because I don't want to move - but you can make anywhere home... If it means being alive and living in a smaller house, life is more important."
She acknowledges the treatment in Germany is not guaranteed. "It's a lot of money to spend - and the treatment might not be successful... but you just don't know until you try these things. I want to live and see my children grow up." A separate fundraising campaign has already raised over £23,000 towards her cause.
