A St Ives family is pulling out all the stops to raise funds to help Bev Silver – daughter, sister, mum-of-four and nanna-of-eight – after the funding for her specialist cancer treatment was withdrawn.

Emma Hudson, the partner of Bev’s son Pete, contacted the Hunts Post to ask for help to raise awareness of the family’s bid to raise £71,200.

The family has launched a fund-raising web page on which Pete wrote that Bev has had neuroendocrine tumours for more than nine years. Initially she had a liver resection, but the cancer then spread to her bones and grew back in her liver and is now incurable.

She has had the treatment before with some success, so when the tumours began to grow in size again, they thought she could have it again.

However, Pete said she was called into a clinic at Addenbrooke’s Hospital, Cambridge, to be told the funding had been withdrawn.

“It was, of course, heart breaking to hear when we all had been hopeful,” Pete said.

It was about four years ago that Bev started on the new treatment called LU177 (lutetium therapy), given every eight to 12 weeks.

“At the time it was a new drug and was funded due to it being in the early stages of its development. With mum, this treatment led to her tumours having a slight reduction, but best of all, she was stable for three years which has been amazing. We had always been told that another course of treatment would be available,” said Pete.

He said that his mum was then told in July that her tumours had increased and were getting bigger again. She was asked to have some scans to ensure that the tumours would take up the lutetium solution.

Pete said: “Her tumours did take up the solution so we thought all was well and looking hopeful for treatment to commence as soon as possible.”

They were all devastated when Bev was told the treatment would not be available.

“They have stated the reason for this not being available is due to the fact that not enough research and data exists to say whether the treatment can be as successful a second time around for a patient,” said Pete.

Bev is having oral chemotherapy now, which the family is hoping may stabilise her tumours. She has also had targeted radiotherapy on a new tumour on the spine, which is causing her extreme pain.

“The side effects of these tablets are having a big impact on the quality of her life now which is hard to see,” Pete said. “But mum is not giving up and we are all so proud of her determination and cheerfulness through all of this.”

The family is participating in challenges and events throughout 2019 in a bid to raise the £71,200, which is the cost of the self-fund treatment, and they have set up a fundraising page.

Pete said: “If anyone would like to help us to raise the money we need to fund our mum’s treatment we would be extremely grateful for anything anyone can donate.”

INFO: If you would like to help the family raise this money, go to: www.gofundme.com/6fm4oxs.