Appeal for help for young Leighton Buzzard mum with devastating cancer gene

Back came the devastating news she had the extremely rare PALB2 gene.

Since then, she’s had nine bouts of chemotherapy and 15 rounds of radiotherapy. Her latest scan shows she now has stage four breast cancer.

Her friend Jody King is fundraising so that this brave young woman can have private immunotherapy therapy treatment in London, alongside her NHS chemotherapy.

Jody, who works with Shabba’s partner Steve Kelly in the film industry, says: “They have a precious five-year-old son Jackson.

"Shabba has been battling cancer for three years and she’s been so strong and brave in her ongoing fight against this cruel, evil disease. No-one should have to go through the suffering, pain and heartache as many times as Shabba has, but she does it with so much courage for her young family.”

Everything is being done to slow down the spread to give this plucky young mum more time with her family.

She recently spent eight days at a holistic retreat in the Netherlands to prepare her for the treatments ahead and says she found it extremely healing: “It allowed me time to process and re-group, as well as giving me the motivation to fight this vile disease.”

Shabba admits the support they’ve received, even from strangers, has been overwhelming: “Words cannot describe how grateful we are and always will be.

“Sometimes it feels like a bad dream - we’ve never had to rely on others in this way. But accepting their help will allow me to fight harder to make sure I do everything I can to be here to look after my son, partner, family and friends.”

The Netherlands retreat was paid for through a gofundme appeal but the new course in London is expected to cost between £70,000 and £100,000 so Jody is renewing her fundraising efforts.

She adds: “Steve is a self-employed plasterer in the film industry and it’s a constant worry about how they’ll manage when he has time off.”

This Pinner-based fundraiser extraordinaire is a sculptor and has been in the movie business for almost three decades.

She explains: “Steve and I have worked alongside each other all these years on many productions including Jurassic World, Prometheus and more recently The Witcher TV series for Netflix.

"I build set pieces using polystyrene and clay – anything from large rocks to architectural pieces, all sorts. Steve then takes over moulding and casting what’s been sculpted.

“We work at various studios like Pinewood and Shepperton.

"When he met Shabba, she became just as close a friend as he is. They’re a wonderful couple and I’m proud to call them my friends.

"We all want to do whatever we can to give Shabba the best chance to have as much time as possible with her precious son and loved ones. That’s why I’m asking from the bottom of my heart for your support. Please let’s help ease the huge financial burden that’s come with this heart-breaking situation.”

> The fund now stands at £28,000. Visit the GoFundMe page if you’d like to help.