Guernsey woman's loved ones fundraise for cancer treatment abroad
Her husband, Joshua Kitson, said: "Over the last six years, Beth's been an incredibly strong human being and has manged to find solutions in some of the darkest corners for her cancer. "Recently, she was diagnosed with a new enhancement of her brain cancer, and we have found ourselves in a position where we have the answers, but don't have the resources."The £120,000 fundraising target has been set to cover Beth's travel, living expenses, and the cost of specialist treatment in Germany, with each trip set to cost between £6,000 and £7,000.Other costs include further treatments such as ultrasound radiotherapy and proton therapy, which is each estimated at up to £70,000.
'Hope and light'
In response to Mr Kitson's appeal, islanders and friends of the couple, Jessica Hubert, Dom Rowe, Sam Hamperl, and Kristina Baker have come together to organise local fundraising events. Kristina said: "Beth grew up in Guernsey and her family and so many friends are still here. "Even through relentless treatments, she's always tried to return when she can. "When we learned Beth's cancer had progressed, and that money was the only thing standing in the way of her continuing her fight, we knew we had to act. "Beth has been a source of hope and light even as she's faced unimaginable challenges." The group is holding a 6km (3.72 mile) Walk for Beth, which is a ticketed event for 10:00 BST on 24 August, starting and ending at the Peninsula Hotel in Vale.
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The Sun
29 minutes ago
- The Sun
Doctors gaslit me into thinking I wasn't ill – experts failed me & now I may never be a mother, reveals Vicky Pattison
HER fiery temper on Geordie Shore won over an army of fans – but even though Vicky Pattison has smoothed out her rough edges, she has still managed to become an unfiltered voice on issues that matter. And now she's tackling a cause that is close to her heart. 3 3 In an exclusive chat with The Sun — which comes as she presents Vicky Pattison Investigates: Medical Misogyny today on Good Morning Britain — the former I'm A Celebrity winner tells us why the UK healthcare system is failing women, including herself. Vicky, 37, says: 'Women are so often the punching bags. 'At the moment, the healthcare system is telling women that their pain, suffering and debilitating conditions do not matter.' Shocking statistics revealed today by GMB show three in five women have experienced reproductive health issues, yet a third have had to wait over a year for a diagnosis. Meanwhile, over half of them received a misdiagnosis, and 51 per cent said they had felt dismissed by a medical professional. It's a feeling that Vicky knows all too well as it took five years of being made to feel like she was overreacting before she was finally diagnosed with Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder. In the meantime, she was suffering from anxiety, depressive moods, rage, crippling cramps, and a feeling of hopelessness. Her GP told her it was nothing unusual — she was just a bit more 'sensitive' than the average woman. 'When I hit my 30s, my period symptoms started becoming increasingly heightened,' she says. 'In some of my more intense and darker moments, I had suicidal thoughts. I'm A Celeb winner set to join Strictly after wowing bosses while supporting pal in audience last year 'I knew what I was experiencing couldn't be right — it was just so debilitating. 'But for five years, I was repeatedly dismissed by my doctors. "I was told everything from, 'This is just PMS, everyone experiences it, other women can just handle it better' to, 'This is psychological — you need antidepressants.' 'I was told by one doctor, 'Maybe it'll be better if you lose weight.'' Her voice breaks when she reflects on the battle she still faces. Vicky says: 'Every month, you lose yourself — and as I've gotten older, it's gotten worse. "It used to last a few days, but now it's seven to ten days before my period. 'I'm anxious, I'm emotional, I'm exhausted, and I'm completely unrecognisable from the woman I am the rest of the time. 'The things that bring me joy don't bring me joy.' It was only three years ago, after hitting countless dead ends, that she went to a private doctor — a step she knows many women can't take. 'SPICY MOMENTS' 'I broke down when she said I had PMDD,' Vicky says. 'I'd had five years of being gaslit.' Yet sadly for Vicky and so many other women, diagnosis is just the first step. She is still on the quest to find treatment that works. She explains: 'I've read all the blogs, I follow all the accounts, I've got some great premenstrual supplements that I swear by. 'But even if you exercise, your diet is good and you're doing all those things you know help, you can't control the uncontrollable and the PMDD symptoms will rage. 'The only thing that helps me is communicating. "Whether it's to my agent, to the people I work with, or to my family, I say: 'I know what's about to happen. "There will be some spicy moments where I'm raging. Please know that's not me.'' So much of her personal healing has come from her husband of almost a year, Ercan Ramadan, 31. The pair had only just started dating around seven years ago when Vicky's PMDD first emerged. She recalls: 'It did initially put a huge strain on our relationship. 3 'Now I help him understand. "I'll go to him: 'I think I'm coming into my spicy week' — where you can't remember names, you can't remember where you're supposed to be, you're practically narcoleptic. 'He'll just handle me with kid gloves. I am very lucky that I have a man who understands. 'I know everyone's not in that position, but they can't give you empathy if they don't understand, so do try to explain it.' Vicky's now written to Health Secretary Wes Streeting to deliver news of GMB's findings. She wants to see education on women's health improve in schools, get GPs more informed and give greater support to women in the workplace when they are in pain. Vicky says: 'I know Wes Streeting is a busy man, and I don't think for one second he's going to see a letter from Vicky Pattison and think, 'Ooh I should make time for her.' 'But it's not about ignoring me. It's about what ignoring me says to women in Britain. "You are saying to half the population that our pain, our suffering, our quality of life doesn't matter. That is inexcusable.' Appearing alongside Vicky on GMB today are three women who have also been fobbed off by the healthcare system. I think people wrote me off a long time ago, but I'm really grateful that I parlayed a stint on reality TV to where I am now Vicky Pattison Kelly Swingler, 44, from Cambridgeshire, waited 34 years for a diagnosis of adenomyosis, and it took two years for Rachael Twimasi-Corson, 35, from London, to get a call from a mental health nurse after identifying her PMDD symptoms through social media. Meanwhile, Manika Kaur, 27, from Newcastle, received an endometriosis diagnosis after ten years of debilitating pain. Vicky adds: 'I'm hoping that the Government realises this can't be ignored anymore.' As for her personal journey, PMDD is still a battle — and it's one affecting her plans to become a mum after freezing her eggs in 2023 and making embryos with Ercan. She wells up as she says: 'I am a woman of a certain age who would love to have kids. "But my fear is that my condition will make it very difficult to be the mum that I want to be. "You want to be this lovely, patient mother, but I do worry what I'll be like with PMDD — because you're short-tempered, you're exhausted." Yet having opened up in previous years about her body image issues, her struggles with alcohol and finding herself in toxic relationships, she is used to showing her vulnerable side. She says: 'I think people wrote me off a long time ago, but I'm really grateful that I parlayed a stint on reality TV to where I am now, and that I'm able to use my platform to champion issues that are so important to me. 'I'm going to be a thorn in the side of people making decisions, because I believe it's important. 'I hope they're ready, because I'm fired up.'
Sky News
38 minutes ago
- Sky News
Compensation scheme for infected blood scandal widened
Why you can trust Sky News More victims of the infected blood scandal will qualify for compensation while others will get higher awards under changes to the scheme. The new rules mean estates of affected people who have already died will be able to claim payments. As well as this, around 1,000 people who are already eligible will be able to claim a higher amount, including chronic Hepatitis C individuals. The reforms are being introduced following 16 recommendations from the Infected Blood Inquiry, which published an additional report earlier this month. Confirming the changes, minister for the Cabinet Office Nick Thomas-Symonds said the government has "concentrated on removing barriers to quicker compensation". He added: "Our focus as we move forward must be working together to not only deliver justice to all those impacted, but also to restore trust in the state to people who have been let down too many times." Between the 1970s and early 1990s, more than 30,000 people in the UK were infected with HIV and hepatitis C while receiving NHS care. 1:21 Some 3,000 people have died after they were given contaminated blood and blood products, while survivors live with lifelong implications. In last October's Budget, Chancellor Rachel Reeves committed £11.8bn to compensate victims of the infected blood scandal, with the scheme opening at the end of last year. The changes will ensure that those who endured treatments with adverse side effects, such as interferon, will receive higher compensation to what is currently provided. Extraordinary intervention forces govt to act The government will now hope its response to Sir Brian Langstaff's criticism will be enough to convince the Infected Blood chair - and more importantly those infected and affected by this scandal - is listening and acting with urgency. The long-awaited report was published in May 2024. It was an afternoon charged with raw emotion. After decades of being lied to, ignored and gaslit, finally the infected blood community had found its champion. Someone who understood their pain and suffering. Sir Brian called on the government to deliver compensation quickly, knowing that many were dying before seeing justice delivered. But Sir Brian was not himself convinced. Even after the publication of the report he kept the Inquiry open. This is unprecedented. It showed that he feared there would be more stalling and further delays to payments. He was, sadly, proved right. It took an extraordinary intervention from Sir Brian last month to push the government to respond. It says it will implement all of the Inquiry's latest recommendations, some immediately and the rest after further consultation with the community. More people will now qualify for payment and others will get more compensation. And importantly the claims of victims will not die with them but instead can now be passed on to surviving family members. All hugely important revisions. The government says it understands the urgency. But it will also know it should not have taken an unprecedented intervention to force the issue. Higher compensation will also be available for the impacts currently recognised by the Infected Blood Support Scheme 'Special Category Mechanism' (SCM), which is provided to chronic Hepatitis C individuals who have experienced a significant impact on their ability to carry out daily duties. The government said the changes mean that over a thousand people will receive a higher amount than they would have under the existing scheme. Scheme widened to estates of deceased affected people The scheme will also be widened to some people who don't currently qualify. Under the current mechanism, if someone who was infected dies before receiving full compensation, then any final award can be passed on to their relatives through their estate. However while compensation is also available to family members affected by the scandal - a partner, sibling or parent of someone who was infected, for example, this claim dies with them if they pass away. The changes announced today mean that if the affected person has died after May 21st 2024, or dies in future before receiving compensation, their estate will be able to make a claim. Memorial plans announced The government also announced that Clive Smith, president of the Haemophilia Society, will be the chair of the new Infected Blood Memorial Committee. The project will include plans for a UK memorial and support memorials in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. In line with the Infected Blood Inquiry's recommendation, the committee will also develop plans for commemorative events and is planning to hold the first by the end of 2025. Mr Smith said the memorial is "long overdue". He added: "It is a great privilege to be asked to lead this important work on behalf of the community. "I am conscious that we are already behind in relation to implementing the Infected Blood Inquiry's recommendation that community events be held on a six-month basis post the Inquiry reporting. We intend to correct that by the end of this year. "I look forward to working with the whole community across the UK on building an appropriate memorial to those we have lost and to act as a lasting memorial to the nation of what can happen when patient safety is not prioritised."
Leader Live
an hour ago
- Leader Live
Changes to infected blood compensation scheme following outcry from victims
And the process has begun to create a 'long overdue' memorial for thousands of victims of the scandal, dubbed the worst treatment disaster in the history of the NHS. Earlier this month, the Infected Blood Inquiry made a series of recommendations to improve compensation for people who were both infected with contaminated blood and people affected as a result. Responding to the report, the Government said that it was immediately accepting a number of the recommendations and will consult on others. It is not rejecting any of the recommendations. And the Infected Blood Compensation Authority (IBCA) announced it will accept all recommendations relating to the compensation authority. Earlier this month, the probe into the scandal said victims had been 'harmed further' by failures in the compensation scheme. Sir Brian Langstaff, chairman of the inquiry, said the number of people who have been compensated to date is 'profoundly unsatisfactory' as he called for 'faster and fairer' compensation for victims. He said all victims should be able to register for compensation and should not have to wait to be called forward to start their claim. The Inquiry's Additional Report calls for compensation to be fairer and faster. Read the report here: — Infected Blood Inquiry (@bloodinquiry) July 9, 2025 The IBCA confirmed it will create a registration process. The Government has also accepted a number of recommendations including: – Affected people's claims will not 'die with them' and their payments will be passed on to their estates; – People infected with HIV before 1982 will be compensated – they were previously ineligible; – The requirement for people with hepatitis to provide a date of diagnosis will be abolished. Meanwhile, it said it will consult on a number of issues including: how the scheme recognises the impact of interferon treatment for hepatitis which has been linked to severe side effects; how the scheme recognises severe psychological harm; and it will also consult on the scope of how victims of unethical research are to be compensated. Elsewhere, the Government announced further interim payments to the estates of people who have died. And it also confirmed that Clive Smith, president of the Haemophilia Society, will be the chairman of the Infected Blood Memorial Committee. Mr Smith will lead the work to create a national memorial to the victims of the scandal and will 'support memorials in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland'. Cabinet Office Minister Nick Thomas-Symonds said: 'When I appeared before the inquiry in May, I said that I would take a constructive approach and, carefully, consider the issues that had been put to me. 'I have concentrated on removing barriers to quicker compensation, working with IBCA, and am determined to deliver improvements based on this new report. 'Our focus as we move forward must be working together to not only deliver justice to all those impacted, but also to restore trust in the state to people who have been let down too many times.' In a statement to the Commons, Mr Thomas-Symonds told MPs he would go further than the inquiry's recommendation on affected states. He said: 'The inquiry recommended that where someone who would be an eligible affected person sadly died or dies between the 21 of May 2024 and 31 of December 2029, their claim will not die with them, but becomes part of the estate. 'I'm actually going to extend that by a further two years to the 31st of December 2031.' David Foley, chief executive of IBCA, added: 'The community is at the heart of everything we do. We can only grow the service, and implement these new recommendations by listening to and acting on the views of the community. 'Some of the recommendations will take longer to implement, which we know may cause frustration and upset for some in the community. 'We will always act with transparency. That is why I can confirm that we will create a registration process, so that the community can tell us that they intend to make a claim. 'We will also develop the service for all groups, paying the first claims before the end of 2025. And we will improve transparency by sharing more of our processes, documents, data and plans on our website.' Incoming memorial committee chairman Mr Smith said: 'A memorial to the thousands who have died from the contaminated blood scandal is long overdue. 'It is a great privilege to be asked to lead this important work on behalf of the community. 'I look forward to working with the whole community across the UK on building an appropriate memorial to those we have lost and to act as a lasting memorial to the nation of what can happen when patient safety is not prioritised.' Today we've published our latest figures – these are accurate as of 15 July 2025. More than half of those who are living with infection and registered with a support scheme have now started their claim. Since April, we've halved average claim processing time from 60 to 30… — Infected Blood Compensation Authority (@IBCA_UK) July 17, 2025 More than 30,000 people in the UK were infected with HIV and hepatitis C after they were given contaminated blood and blood products between the 1970s and early 1990s. More than 3,000 people have died as a result, and survivors are living with lifelong health implications. The Infected Blood Inquiry published its main report on the scandal in May last year, and a compensation scheme was announced a day later. But in the same week a general election was called and officials from the IBCA have described how in the early days of the organisation it consisted of two men, a laptop and a phone. Some £11.8 billion has been allocated to compensate victims, administered by the IBCA. As of July 15, 587 people have had their compensation paid totalling more than £400 million.
