Katie Brien's fundraiser for cancer treatment in Germany
Katie Brien, who went to Branston Community Academy, is raising money for treatment at a clinic in Germany after the NHS ran out of options. Here is her story, what the money pays for, and how to help.
By Matt Hodson ·
Katie Brien is raising money for cancer treatment in Germany that isn't available to her on the NHS. Her fundraiser is on GoFundMe, which always shows the live total. The target is £75,000.
Katie's story
Katie was 26 when she was diagnosed with bowel cancer. In the four years since she has had several operations and rounds of chemotherapy on the NHS, and anyone who follows her will know she has faced all of it with her sense of humour intact.
The cancer has now returned for a third time and has spread to her pelvis. She had surgery in June, and her surgeons found that removing the tumour would cause permanent damage she would have to live with for the rest of her life. Her medical team have told her that, having tried every option available in the UK, there is "nothing new they can offer through the NHS".
Katie has since been in touch with the Hallwang Clinic in Germany, a private clinic offering integrative oncology and immunotherapy treatments. The clinic has reviewed her case and believes treatment is still possible. None of it is NHS funded, so the full cost falls to her. She has written that she wants to be there for her family and to see what the future holds.
What the money pays for
The first stage is a three-week stay at the clinic costing around €110,000. The £75,000 target is a first step towards that, not the whole amount. It covers:
- specialist testing to work out which treatments could work for her
- a personalised immunotherapy programme built around those results
- the first phase of treatment, with further courses to follow
- travel and medical costs of getting to Germany and staying there
Katie has said that every penny raised goes directly to treatment, travel and medical costs, and that anything over the target goes towards further care.
How to help
Donate on GoFundMe. Any amount helps, and the page shows the running total.
If you can't donate, share it instead. A share costs nothing and might reach someone who can give. Katie posts her own updates on TikTok as @katierbrien.
About this post
Lincoln Digital's founder went to Branston Community Academy with Katie, so we're using this page to help spread the word. It isn't run by Katie, GoFundMe or the clinic, and it doesn't take any money or collect any details. All donations go through Katie's official fundraiser on GoFundMe, organised by Katie Brien.
The description of the treatment reflects what Katie and the clinic have said, and nothing here is medical advice. If you're facing similar decisions, talk to your own medical team, or to a charity such as Macmillan or Bowel Cancer UK.