Woman with rare cancer given six months to live fundraising for treatment in USA

A 30-year-old woman suffering from an aggressive brain cancer has asked the community for support after being overwhelmed by the expenses of her medical treatments.

Beatrice Padure, who lives near Earls Court station, Kensington, was diagnosed with Glioblastoma in February 2022.

Just 3,300 people are diagnosed with Glioblastoma each year in the UK and is more common among older people and men. Ms Padure is only 30-years-old.

After her diagnosis, Ms Padure was treated at the Charing Cross Hospital. But eight months of exhaustive treatments saw no improvement in her condition and doctors told her that nothing else could be done.

In October this year she was sent home with four to six months to live.

Her friend Valery Siniakovich, 37, from Sloane Avenue, Kensington, said: “I found out in April 2022.

“I’ve known her for many years and I knew it was a death sentence. I couldn’t sleep for days.”

Since her diagnosis, Ms Padure said she has lost most of her friends. Although she has lived in London for 10 years, Ms Padure is a Romanian citizen – where most of her family lives.

In September, her mother, Michaela Padure, 54, quit her job as a full-time carer in Italy to look after her.

Mr Siniakovich has been accompanying the mother and daughter to hospital appointments.

He said: “It seemed so hopeless. Then I took her to two other oncologists my friend had recommended. He had recovered from kidney cancer”

One of these doctors recommended a special genetics test that would analyse Ms Padure’s brain tumour for potential gene mutations. 

Mr Siniakovich said: “It’s called Tempus and takes about a month to be done because the samples are sent to the USA. 

“But the doctors said that if the Tempus test shows anything useful, then specially targeted treatment could be applied that could give her what they called ‘profound life extension’.”

The test itself costs £5,000. And if it is successful in identifying a mutation the following treatment costs £10,000 every 3 weeks. 

A GoFundMe page has been set up to raise money to pay the medical expenses.

Mr Siniakovich said: “This is our last hope. Unfortunately, we have only managed to collect just over £3,000, which is not even enough for the Tempus test.

“This is not just for Beatrice – it is new – it could be something groundbreaking that could benefit society as a whole if it works for her.”

To donate visit: https://gofund.me/c676ae81

Pictured top: Beatrice Padure before her cancer diagnosis (Picture: Beatrice Padure)