A YOUNG mum has launched a £100,000 fundraiser after being given a terrifying ‘cancer’ diagnosis – just two years after she was previously given the all clear.
Daria Gray was just 26 years old and had just given birth to her youngest child when she was first told she had breast cancer.
The mother of two underwent several surgeries and intensive chemotherapy before finally being told in December 2019 that she was cured.
Darina, from Bedford, Bedfordshire, was tragically told last year that breast cancer came back aggressively, spreading throughout the body.
Now the accounts assistant and her family are hoping to raise the necessary funds for Enhertu – an antibody drug not normally available in the UK for Darina’s type of cancer.
Despite her diagnosis, Darina remained positive and even set up a charity to help raise money for other families whose lives have been affected by the disease.
After being re-diagnosed, Darina underwent four rounds of chemotherapy, but her body rejected them, leading to allergic reactions, suspected sepsis and a collapsed gallbladder.
The family are now asking generous donors to raise £100,000 to afford the vital antibody drug.
Family friend Nicole Gray set up a GoFundMe on Tuesday to help raise the money, writing: “Darina was diagnosed with primary breast cancer in April 2019 at the age of 26, just 8 weeks after giving birth to her second child.
“Daria has endured a double mastectomy, intensive chemotherapy and multiple surgeries, all while being the best mom she can be to her two beautiful boys.
“In December 2019, Darina was “all clean”. In January 2022, after several months of symptoms, Darina received the devastating news that her cancer came back
“Unfortunately, this time it had spread to her liver, spine, lymph nodes and bones, meaning she was diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 29.
“Secondary breast cancer is unfortunately incurable with limited resources/lines of treatment.
“From Daryna diagnosisshe received four different types of chemotherapy, none of which kept her cancer stable.
“To say Darina has had a hard time with her treatment over the past year would be an understatement.
“She had several allergic reactions, several trips to the emergency room with suspected sepsis, and emergency surgery for a ruptured gallbladder in October.
“She has spent the last few months almost bedridden due to the effects of the latest chemotherapy which unfortunately did not work to shrink the tumors in her liver.
“Darina’s oncologist has found a treatment called Enhertu, which he is confident will shrink the tumors in Darina’s liver and keep her cancer stable.
“The FDA in America has approved Enherta for Darina’s type of cancer and has seen extremely positive results.
“However, it is not yet approved in the UK for Darina’s type of cancer, so the costs cannot be covered by the NHS or private healthcare.
“Enhertu’s starting price is £100,000. We understand it’s a lot of money, but we have to at least try.
“At the end of the day, we can’t put a price on buying Darina more time to spend with her wonderful husband, Johnny, and her beautiful boys, Marley and Kobe.
“Those who know Darina will agree with me when I say that she is just an incredible person.
“Throughout her primary and secondary diagnosis, she remained the positive, caring, amazing woman that she is.
“She constantly lifts us all up with her amazing sense of humor when in reality it should be the other way around.
“Shortly after her secondary diagnosis, Darina set up the Gray to Sunshine charity and raised funds through granny parties, a golf day, a charity ball and much more in between.
“She has raised over £16,000 which has been spent on families going through the hell of cancer, day trips, photoshoots or anything they ask for to help create lasting memories and forget the horrible realities of cancer. at least a day.
“It’s time we all returned the favor and helped fund Darina’s treatment.”
Speaking to Nicole today, she said: “I’ve known Darina for over 15 years.
“We became best friends after she started dating my cousin Johnny, who she has been with for over 15 years and is now married to two handsome guys.
“I decided to create the page because Darina’s oncologist thinks this treatment is the best option for Darina. So far, she has undergone four different treatments, none of which have worked to keep her cancer stable.
“The Enhertu treatment is available on the NHS, however it is not available for Darina’s cancer.
“The FDA in America used this method to treat Darina’s cancer and saw really positive results: 50% of the tumors shrunk.
“Daria was not so lucky with the previous chemo she had. Her cancer is growing fast and we need it now more than ever to keep it under control and stable, which is why we started this treatment.
“This is the biggest hope we’ve had in a long time since her diagnosis, so I thought why not start a GoFundMe page and see how it goes. We cannot believe the generosity of people.
“We are very impressed and grateful.”
At the time of writing, fundraising has reached £38,176. To donate, you can visit: https://gofund.me/31eef1fa
