FREE Delivery over £35
Unbeatable Prices
Georgy’s Story: Family Looks to Raise £240k for Lifesaving Treatment
A family in Crewe is looking to raise £240,000 by September so that an 11-year-old boy can undergo vital stem cell therapy in Asia.
Georgy Capener, needs the treatment in order to stop a rare bone cancer returning. The Liverpool supporter was diagnosed with Ewing’s Sarcoma which is highly malignant, following a fall in a friends garden on Easter Sunday 2018.
Since the diagnosis, brave Georgy has undergone rounds of aggressive chemotherapy and radiotherapy. As a consequence of this treatment, he sadly lost his right arm and now has a titanium prosthesis. In March 2019, he went into remission and his parents, Richard and Helen, were hopeful that the ordeal was behind them.
Unfortunately, in April of this year, the cancer returned. Speaking to Chester Live, mum Helen said: “Everything had been going really well and then there was the impact of the coronavirus pandemic so one scan [to check Georgy] was moved further on but we never got to it because he started having really painful headaches. I knew something wasn’t right.”
The cancer was now in Georgy’s left sinus, behind his eye socket and in a location that meant that he could have lost his eye or suffer a stroke during the biopsy needed, something that Helen admitted she was reluctant at first for him to undergo despite him needing it.
“We didn’t know if he was going to come out with his eyesight or have a stroke but he came through it,” she said. “He’s so brave, he’s been so brave throughout.”
Cartridge People spoke to Helen last week after she’d got back from the hospital with Georgy following yet another round of radiotherapy. The tumour which Georgy has cannot be operated on due to its location and so the family are now looking to raise funds for potentially life-saving stem cell therapy in a top medical centre in Thailand.
It is hoped that the treatment will prevent the cancer from returning and will allow Georgy to live a healthy, normal life. The treatment though costs £130,000 and is not available via the NHS. So the family have now been campaigning to raise the necessary funds for Georgy to receive the treatment in September. He’ll need to undergo the therapy following his last round of chemotherapy due to take place at the start of next month.
Helen added: “The transplant will involve removing the faulty mother cell and harvesting new purified cells from a donated umbilical cord into his body to stop the cancer from returning. These procedures have very high success rates.”
Cartridge People has lent its support to the campaign that has already raised over £70,000. A Facebook Page set up by a family friend, called Georgy’s Fight, lists how you can help.
On the JustGiving page set up for people to donate, Helen and Richard write:
Patients with relapsed Ewing’s have a very poor prognosis and as his parents, we are determined to try and raise as much as we can so our gorgeous boy can live a carefree life, something he has not had for three years now. After lengthy discussions with a stem cell transplant hospital in a top medical treatment centre in Asia, we are thrilled that they are willing to accept Georgy! The transplant will involve removing the faulty mother cell and harvesting new purified cells from a donated umbilical cord into his body to stop the cancer from returning, these procedures have very high success rates. Throughout all of Georgy’s treatment we have been absolutely amazed with our NHS, he wouldn’t be here now without them but the cost of this treatment is going to be around the region of £130,000 which simply cannot be funded by our NHS and we really do understand this. Georgy has always taken his illness in his stride, he is a well-mannered and courageous young man and has the best sense of humour ever! When we told him about the possibility of having this procedure his reply was “will I still have my memory?”!
There are lots of fundraising events planned for this month ranging from raffles to online fitness classes. T-shirts and hoodies have been made with the “Georgy’s Fight” logo.
Based in Crewe ourselves, it’s impossible for us to not be touched by the courage, determination and superhero-like resilience of Georgy. We’re only too happy to have produced printable “Georgy’s Fight” bunting that can be downloaded below for free at the bottom of thgis page. Helen has been overwhelmed by the support of friends and family as well as the wider community and readers of the Crewe Chronicle and Liverpool Echo.
We understand it’s a difficult time for everybody right now but if you’d like to donate to help try and save a young boy’s life, then you can do so by clicking the below link. Alternatively, if you would like to share Georgy’s story with your friends and family via social media, it would also be appreciated to make people aware of such an amazing effort so far to help a very special lad.
Hopefully, the fundraising efforts over the coming weeks can see the £120,000 achieved and Richard, Helen, Georgy and his sisters Ellie (18) and Chloe (14) can head to Asia for the treatment he so desperately needs.
To make a donation, please visit Georgy's JustGiving page.
Update:
Cartridge People is delighted to say that the initial £120,000 needed for Georgy's treatment has now been raised! We’re amazed by the support we’ve seen so far by the community, especially during these challenging times. Further fundraising is required to help Georgy get the treatment he needs, so please show your support by wearing yellow on Wednesday if you can!
Georgy’s Fight Bunting
If you’re holding an event to raise money for Georgy’s treatment, you can download this free bunting template that can be used to decorate your home, office or shop.
About The Author
