Woman sold house to fund brain cancer treatment

A woman with an aggressive form of brain cancer sold her house to pay for potentially life-extending treatment which is unavailable on the NHS.

Jo Fuller, 51, said it was one of the "hardest decisions" she had ever made, but said it was her only hope of accessing treatment that might give her more time.

The Brain Tumour Research charity is now urging the government to invest in research and expand access to clinical trials so "patients are not faced with these difficult and costly decisions".

A government spokesperson said they knew there was "more to do" but added the government was supporting "ground-breaking trials" to help transform the outcomes for people living with brain tumours.

Fuller, a dyslexia specialist from East Leake in Nottinghamshire, was diagnosed with glioblastoma while on holiday in Australia about two years ago.

Fuller travelled to Australia with her husband Wayne to spend Christmas with his family in December 2024.

The couple were planning to move to the country for two years and said it felt like their future was "falling into place".

However, Fuller collapsed on Boxing Day.

"We'd been shopping for a family barbecue before relaxing outside overlooking the sea," she said.

"The next thing I remember was waking up on the dining room floor surrounded by paramedics. I had no idea I'd suffered a seizure and stopped breathing."

Fuller was diagnosed with glioblastoma and had brain surgery while still in Australia, which she said was "terrifying".

Fuller returned to the UK three and a half months later to have radiotherapy and chemotherapy.

The couple also brought forward their planned handfasting – a symbolic marriage ritual – after being told not to delay important milestones.

Fuller's first post-treatment scan showed the tumour had continued to grow aggressively and spread across her brain.

After standard treatments did not work, she said she decided to sell her house to continue accessing specialist care.

Fuller funded hyperthermia treatment, which heats tumour tissues to between 42C (107.6F) and 43C (109.4F), alongside regular consultations with an alternative oncologist, repurposed medication and nutritional supplements.

Hyperthermia is used alongside radiotherapy and chemotherapy and is designed to make cancer cells more vulnerable to other therapies.

The treatment is not routinely funded or widely available on the NHS. It is only used by specialist teams for certain, specific cancers.

Its use to treat brain tumours is largely experimental, but can be accessed through trials or private clinics.

Fuller said: "Selling my house was one of the hardest decisions I've ever made, but it became my only way of accessing treatments that might give me more time.

"I never imagined I'd have to sell my home simply to keep fighting for my life."

According to Brain Tumour Research, about 3,200 people each year are diagnosed with glioblastoma, with a third surviving beyond a year. Just 4% of patients survive five years or more.

Fuller said she was no longer undergoing hyperthermia treatment while she was off chemotherapy, but continued to pay for three-monthly consultations, repurposed medication and supplements, which she said cost hundreds of pounds each month.

Fuller has also put funds to one side in case future scans show her tumour has grown.

In that case, she hopes to pursue an immunotherapy treatment in Germany, which is not licensed in the UK.

She said: "I've always told myself I'll be part of the 1% of long-term survivors."

She added: "I may not be able to change my own diagnosis, but I hope that by sharing my story I can help raise awareness of glioblastoma and the urgent need for more research.

"No one should have to sell their home to access treatments that might prolong their life, and no family should feel as though there are no more options simply because research hasn't progressed quickly enough.

"I hope that one day, people diagnosed with this disease will have far more hope than I was given, and that's why I'll keep telling my story."

"I refuse to let glioblastoma decide my future, but there desperately needs to be more research so families like mine have better treatment options and more hope."

Dr Karen Noble, director of research, policy and innovation at Brain Tumour Research, said: "Jo's story reflects the devastating reality faced by so many patients and families across the UK.

"With few options, some patients turn to treatments abroad, often unavailable in the UK and without any guarantee of better outcomes or improved quality of life, raising substantial funds to cover these costs.

"We urgently need government to increase the national investment in research and expand access to innovative trials here in the UK so patients are not faced with these difficult and costly decisions."

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: "Our deepest sympathies are with Jo Fuller, and everyone impacted by glioblastoma and other brain tumours.

"Improving cancer research and care is a priority for this government.

"That's why, as part of our National Cancer Plan, we will bring the latest scientific breakthroughs into the NHS faster so that patients can benefit from earlier diagnosis and more effective treatment to live well for longer.

"While we know there is more to do, through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), we are also supporting ground-breaking trials to transform outcomes for people living with brain tumours, and their families."

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