South Shields mum-of-two raises awareness after rare incurable cancer diagnosis

A South Shields cancer counsellor has launched a mission to educate others and raise awareness after she was diagnosed with an incurable rare form of the illness.

Jo Shaw Pyke, who works as a counsellor at South Tyneside’s Cancer Connections charity, has spoken out about her own diagnosis, which doctors have said is incurable.

The mum-of-two was told that she had mucosal melanoma, a rare and aggressive type of cancer that in most cases has usually spread by the time it is diagnosed, at the end of 2023.

It came just months after she married her husband, Jef, and now she is on a mission to raise awareness about this form of cancer, having never come across it in her career.

The 48-year-old, who is originally from Liverpool but lives in South Shields, said: “I’ve worked as a cancer counsellor for 13 years and never have I spoken to anyone in that time who has this form of cancer, that’s how rare it is.”.

Jo continued: “With me having what is known as a wild-type BRAF gene, it means the only treatment available for me here in the UK is immunotherapy.

“Doctors have told me there is about a 17% chance that it will have any impact on slowing down the progression of the cancer, if it is successful.”

Following her diagnosis, Jo carried out her own research into the illness and discovered a treatment called TIL therapy, which she says could prolong her life.

The treatment works by collecting cancer fighting properties (TILs) from a patient’s tumour and growing them in a lab before injecting them back into the patient to target cancer cells throughout the body.

TIL therapy treatment trials are ongoing across Europe and the United States, but it is currently unavailable in the UK.

An online fundraiser has now been set up by Jo’s friend, Karen Murray, to help the mum-of-two get access to the treatment.

At the time of writing, more than £6,500 of the fundraiser’s £100,000 target has been donated.

She added: “When I’ve looked into TIL therapy, there is evidence to show that it could be up to 60% effective in prolonging my life which to me is a million times better than just 17%.

“I wasn’t emotional at my diagnosis because at the end of the day, none of us are invincible but when the fundraiser was set up, I received an outpouring of support and I’ve just cried for days.

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“It has been really overwhelming, especially from people who I counselled more than 10 years ago reaching out and telling me I’d saved their life so now they are now going to help me.

“I haven’t worked for the last few months due to treatment but it has led me to setting up a support group at Cancer Connections for others with incurable cancer to come along and have a chat.

“That is how I’m getting through this, by simply helping others and living my life.”

If Jo is unable to access TIL therapy, those who have made donations will have the option of receiving a refund, or seeing their money given to Cancer Connections to support the charity’s vital work in South Tyneside and across the North East.

You can view and donate to Jo’s fundraiser by visiting: https://www.gofundme.com/f/please-donate-to-help-jo-medical-treatment.