Woman remortgages home to fund cancer treatment

By James Connolly

A woman with terminal brain cancer has remortgaged her home to fund pioneering treatment that she hopes will give her more time.

Former healthcare worker Louise Jensen, 40, has already spent around $125,000 traveling overseas for specialist vaccine treatment after being diagnosed with an aggressive Grade 4 glioblastoma tumor.

Jensen, from Hull, East Yorkshire, first realized something was seriously wrong after suffering what she described as the "worst headache" of her life last summer.

She said: "It was the worst headache I'd ever had — and it was on the left side only.

"I went to ER, because I knew it was not a normal headache. It was far from that."

After initially being told it was probably migraines, Jensen underwent an MRI scan before doctors discovered a tumor on her brain.

She said: "They said they didn't know what it was.

"They knew that something was there, but they didn't know what.

"Can you imagine being told there is something bad that has been picked up — but they can't tell you what it is for another two days?"

Jensen underwent surgery on August 15 last year and was later told the tumor was a Grade 4 glioblastoma.

It is an aggressive form of brain cancer with an average life expectancy of between one and two years after diagnosis.

Recalling the moment she was told, Jensen said: "It was horrific.

"I asked what it meant for me in terms of life expectancy — and they said it was significantly reduced.

"It was a real shock."

After the diagnosis, Jensen and partner Adam Philipson, 41, began desperately researching alternative treatments alongside NHS chemotherapy and radiotherapy.

They eventually turned to a specialist oncology center in Germany offering personalized peptide vaccine treatment.

It is designed to train the immune system to recognize and attack cancer cells if they return.

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The treatment is not available on the NHS and has already cost tens of thousands of dollars, with the couple also paying for repeated flights, hotels and travel abroad.

Jensen has now undergone four trips to Germany, with more planned over the coming months.

To help fund the treatment, the couple remortgaged their home while family members also handed over savings.

Jensen said: "I feel like a burden, but these people want to help.

"There's a sense of guilt, almost as though you've caused the anguish."

Despite recent scans showing no visible regrowth, Jensen said she lives in constant fear the cancer will return.

She said: "Even though they have removed what they could see, there are always cells left.

"When I get pains in my head, I think: has it come back? Every time I have an MRI, I panic."

Jensen, who previously worked as an operating department practitioner and most recently cared for people with MND in their homes, said the mental impact of the diagnosis had been overwhelming.

Philipson said the couple had also become passionate about raising awareness around brain tumor treatment and research funding.

He pointed to a campaign known as 'Owain's Law', which calls for greater access to potentially life-extending drugs and treatments for brain cancer patients.

Jensen added: "This type of cancer is the biggest killer in under 40s of all the cancers.

"But because it only represents 1 percent of the population of people with cancer, there is not as much funding or research for it."

Philipson said the couple have spent months researching brain tumor care and treatment options following Jensen's diagnosis.

He said they had become frustrated after discovering what they believe are inconsistencies in how recommended treatments and care pathways are followed for patients with aggressive brain tumors.

A GoFundMe campaign was set up to help raise funds for the vaccine treatment pioneered in Germany.

Next month, a charity boxing match will take place in Hull which is hoped will deliver a boost for Jensen, as she will be one of the recipients of funds raised.