Crissi and Dave McMahon started fundraising for Mrs McMahon to receive potentially life-saving dendritic cell immunotherapy in Germany back in June. Last week the total donated was less than half of its £20,000 target.
But with a push from the Guernsey Guardians group, run by Richard Vahey, the fundraiser achieved its target this week.
Guernsey Guardians promotes local fundraisers, with the idea that many people making small donations can make a large impact.
‘Crissi’s case was quite time-sensitive, and Guernsey people just really came together and made it happen,’ said Mr Vahey, who also runs the Good News Guernsey Facebook group.
‘The biggest donation was more than £1,200 and people rallied together, there were no questions asked.
‘Every time I put out a new post I could sit with the GoFundMe page open and watch it go up.
‘I stayed up late [on Monday night] watching the total and in came two massive amounts of £1,000 and £500 from anonymous donors.
‘Everyone has been absolutely fantastic.’
The McMahons left the island for Mrs McMahon to receive specialist treatment. She was first diagnosed with brain cancer, grade four glioblastoma, in 2016, when she was given no more than 18 months to live.
‘That year our lives changed forever,’ said Mr McMahon.
‘Brain cancer was no longer something that I read about happening to someone else. It’s not until something like this affects you or a member of your family personally that you appreciate the full impact of the diagnosis and the lack of treatment options.’
They later found out that brain cancer was one of the most under-funded cancers in the UK, with no new treatments being approved for nearly 30 years.
After surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy, Mrs McMahon’s condition stabilised.
Over the past year, she started to display symptoms again, and an MRI showed that there had been what was described as a small recurrence of her cancer.
The scans were sent to Southampton for treatment options to be discussed – and the response was that the cancer was now so far advanced that palliative care was essentially the only options.
‘We honestly thought Crissi had beaten the odds,’ said Mr McMahon, who used to work for RG Falla and then Breton.
‘Unfortunately in March of this year the reality of brain cancer hit us once again when it was discovered that Crissi had new tumour growth and this time she was out of options.’
He said they were ‘shell-shocked, devastated and in despair’.
The family found the cutting-edge dendritic cell immunotherapy option in Germany, which uses specialised immune cells from the patient themselves to help the body recognise and fight cancer, and started to raise money to pay for the treatment.
‘Crissi and Dave felt they had no choice but to go to the UK to seek essential medical help, only to be told that it would affect their local market application,’ said Mrs McMahon’s sister Lynda Audsley.
‘They literally left with two suitcases on an Aurigny flight, leaving behind their worldly possessions.’
But Mr McMahon said that after the campaign was launched ‘something wonderful happened’ with the support of the local community. The most recent medical news was also good, with Mrs McMahon’s latest scan showing that her condition has remained stable since the one three months ago. She is now at Christie’s Hospital in Manchester, which is reported to be ‘exceptionally pleased’ at her situation.
As well as donations direct to the GoFundMe page, islanders have come up with initiatives of their own to help the couple, such as Laura Renouf and her sister Julie who have started the ‘£100 for 100’ campaign aimed at companies, which has seen several, including Mr McMahon’s former employer, Breton, make donations.
Ms Renouf, a close friend of Mrs McMahon, said that Mr Vahey had ‘made the magic happen’.
‘Raising £20,000 just seemed impossible, it felt like trying to raise the Titanic. It was a dream that we were trying to make a reality, then Richard began spreading the word and everyone came through with their well-wishes and support,’ she said.
‘Richard is so special for everything that he has done. This has proven that Guernsey really is a beautiful place – not just because of the scenery, but it is the people that make Guernsey.’
Mrs McMahon will be flying to Germany to receive her treatment from 12 August.
Mrs McMahon’s fundraising page is at www.gofundme.com/f/help-crissi-keep-fighting.
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