'Fighting to get my husband to 50 - and beyond'

A woman from north London is fundraising to help her husband with terminal cancer reach his 50th birthday at the end of the year - a milestone she "never thought they'd even plan for".

Steve Ackroyd, from Palmers Green, was diagnosed with an inoperable glioblastoma in August 2022 and went for private treatment abroad after NHS treatments were not effective.

His wife Fran, who also turns 50 shortly after her husband, said the "fight is on" to ensure he can continue accessing the costly treatments.

"I want to give us the best possible chance of reaching our 50th year together," she said.

Mr Ackroyd, a former TV editor who worked on programmes including Sex Education and Catastrophe, was "super fit and healthy" before he had his first seizure, Ms Ackroyd said.

"They did a CT scan and something didn't look quite right - but they kept saying it was down to the way the brain was positioned," Ms Ackroyd said.

Ms Ackroyd said they went private and eventually got an MRI scan, with a biopsy later confirming the tumour as glioblastoma and were given a "grim prognosis".

The couple have been travelling to Germany every six weeks for private treatment at the IOZK clinic in Cologne.

It includes virus therapy to train Mr Ackroyd's body to target the tumour.

The costs can range from £8,000 to £30,000 for each session - with the amount running into the hundreds of thousands so far.

While glioblastoma is not considered a curable condition, Ms Ackroyd said her husband has shown an "absolutely remarkable" improvement and the tumour has reduced.

"I used to put the Hoover on so nobody could hear me crying," she said.

"Now we're sort of living some sort of normal-ish life again. We can socialise with friends and go and see our daughter in a school play."

The charity Brain Tumour Research has called for an annual government spend of £35m on research.

It said that since 2002, just 1% of national cancer research funding has gone towards the disease.

To help fund ongoing care, the family has launched various fundraising initiatives.

The latest is Steve's Big Fat Raffle, which could fund Mr Ackroyd's treatment for up to three years.

The couple have received messages of support from actors Aimee Lou Wood, Sharon Horgan and Rob Delaney, as well as TV chef Jamie Oliver and musician Tom Fletcher from McFly.

Ms Ackroyd said: "The support of friends, family and even strangers donating has been incredible, and we're overwhelmed by their generosity and thankful for everyone who has shared the raffle and helped us get to where we are today."

She also praised an "incredible pool of friends" who transported the couple to the German clinic during the initial weeks of his treatment.

While she is grateful support for their fundraising efforts, Ms Ackroyd said it is "shocking that patients feel forced to take such action".

Fewer than 13% of people diagnosed with any kind of brain tumour survive beyond five years, according to charity Brain Tumour Research.

Ms Ackroyd, who gave up her job as an interior designer to care for her husband, said that compared to other cancers, treatment into brain tumours in the UK "seems to be far behind that of other countries".

She added: "If we relied on the NHS, my husband would not be here now."

BBC News has asked the Department of Health and Social Care for a comment.

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