Wigan mum diagnosed with terminal cancer raises money for treatment overseas

Estelle Wignall was told last year that the ovarian cancer she beat two years earlier had returned and she had just two to three years to live.

She has been undergoing treatment, including surgery and chemotherapy, but the 27-year-old has become unhappy with her care via the NHS. So she has launched an online appeal to raise enough money for her to get treatment abroad instead.

She has set a target of £30,000, but already has around half of the money needed from previous fund-raising.

Estelle, who lives in Hindley with her husband Mike and their 17-month-old daughter Brooke, said: “They haven’t said there is nothing they can do, they are just not that bothered about looking into what they will do.

“I don’t want it to get to the point where in three months’ time or longer, they will say it’s too far gone. I will have gone through all these operations and chemo for nothing.”

She has not yet selected where she would like to be treated, but has been looking at medical facilities in the USA, Mexico and Turkey to find out what kind of treatments are available.

To raise money, a Halloween party was held on Sunday and Estelle, who is a keen singer, has recorded a CD which she plans to sell.

She has also had plenty of support, with a bulldog organisation raising £11,000, a runner collecting £3,500 by completing a marathon and a photographer taking Christmas pictures making more than £1,000.

There are also plans for a “hairathon” where hairdressers will work for 24 hours and donate the money received to Estelle’s appeal.

She said: “I am doing my best to raise as much money as I can.”

Estelle, who opened a wellness centre this summer offering the alternative therapies that have helped her, decided to go abroad for treatment after becoming unhappy with her care on the NHS.

She claims a maintenance drug she was given by staff at The Christie was stopped and not followed up, after which more cancerous growths developed.

She had surgery on October 4 to remove half of her lung and returned home to recover, but became unwell.

She called for an ambulance three times and asked a GP to visit her three times, but claims the doctor delayed going to see her.

Estelle was taken by ambulance to Wigan Infirmary on October 21, given antibiotics and discharged. But the following day she went to Wythenshawe Hospital as she felt so unwell and spent several days there after being diagnosed with sepsis.

She praised staff at Wythenshawe for her treatment, but her experiences elsewhere have led to her wanting to go abroad in a bid to prolong her life and enable her to spend more time with her daughter.

A spokesman for Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, which runs Wigan Infirmary, said: “When a complaint is made, it is always reviewed by our patient relations team who monitor the progress of any investigation, working with the teams involved to investigate issues thoroughly. All complaints give us the opportunity to improve our services, and we encourage all our patients to provide us with feedback about their experience.

“The trust is unable to comment further on an individual case until it has been fully investigated.”

A spokesman for The Christie said: “Whilst we cannot comment on individual cases, we are confident that the care we delivered to our patients during the Covid-19 pandemic was appropriate.”

To donate to Estelle’s appeal, go to www.gofundme.com/f/help-me-fight-cancer-to-be-with-my-baby-girl

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