26/09/2026
A mum who was told she had just weeks left to live and there was nothing the NHS could do has been saved after using her pension to pay for private treatment 🙏
Laura Pearce was diagnosed with cancer for the first time in 2018. The 54-year-old, from Llanelli, underwent chemotherapy, radiotherapy and a lumpectomy and was given the all-clear in September 2019.
In 2023, she started experiencing symptoms again. She initially put it down to the menopause. Then, sadly, she discovered the cancer had returned, and this time it was at stage four.
The mum-of-six was told the cancer had spread to her liver, lungs and bones. After undergoing one round of palliative chemo, Laura said she was told there was no treatment other than hospice care and that she had less than a year to live.
But, Laura was determined to see her children grow up. She began researching treatment options abroad and discovered a pioneering new option in Germany. But it came at a cost.
Laura cashed in her life insurance and pension and began travelling to Frankfurt, Germany, every four weeks for treatment, costing her around £5,000 per trip.
By September 2024, she was told she was in remission and says she felt lucky to be alive 🙏
Currently in remission, Laura now travels back to Germany every three months for check-ups. She said: "It was really shocking because I had been really well, super fit and active. I was so frightened. I've got six children and I'm a single mum, it wasn't something I was willing to accept.
"When they told me I only had weeks to live, my son was with me. It was horrific. I had to go home and tell my children I only had weeks to live. I couldn't believe it, they said there wasn't anything they could do other than hospice. It was really frightening going to Germany for treatment. The doctor told me the treatment could kill me, but I would also die in a few weeks if I didn't have it so I had to take that chance.
"As the journey went on, I got more used to it and the cancer started improving. It was really hard to believe I was in remission. It took me a couple of weeks to actually accept that it had gone, I feel so lucky to be alive. The NHS fails people with breast cancer. If I hadn't gone to Germany, I would have been dead in a few weeks."