Knutsford family 'overwhelmed' with support for courageous cancer mum

Cecile Duchesnes is undergoing her third course of chemotherapy after a year of misdiagnoses.

The former teacher successfully conquered bowel cancer in 2019 and was in remission until a scan in 2022 revealed several lung metastases.

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Despite six months of chemotherapy and radiotherapy, the disease progressed.

The 47-year-old is determined to keep fighting and watch her three children, Perrine, 17, Remi, 14, and Alita, 10, grow up at their home in Knutsford.

Cecile with Alita, Perrine and Remi (Image: Sarah Jane King Photography)

The French-born medical writer has carried out extensive research and discovered complementary therapy that can work alongside conventional chemotherapy.

As these treatments are not available on the NHS, husband Mike, 56, launched a GoFundMe appeal, gofundme.com/f/give-my-wife-some-more-time

In just one week, almost £24,000 has been donated.

Mike, working as a maintenance handyman on a large estate until he can resume his police career, said: “It has just been overwhelming.

Cecile relaxing with her family (Image: Website)

“Cecile is a wonderful, kind, loving person who would do anything for anyone.

“She is very resilient and strong and a fantastic mum.

“We were struggling to meet the cost of the medicines, specialists and further treatment. We put our pensions into the cost but reached an impasse.

“The burden has now been lifted. This boost of support has made a big difference.

“It’s life changing for us and makes us feel so positive.”

Cecile has been inspired by physiotherapist Jane McLelland, who had been given only weeks to live yet managed to beat cervical, lung and blood cancers.

Cecile is determined to fight her cancer (Image: Sarah Jane King Photography)

Cecile said: “Jane had stage 4 diagnosis like me and came up with this new protocol.

“Now, 17 years on, she is still around.”

Rather than aiming to cure cancer, Jane’s approach was to stop the disease spreading.

Cecile, who has a PhD in biochemistry, said: “The idea is to starve the cancer cells which grow so fast as they have a huge nutrient intake.

“They need glucose to survive.

“A lot of research has been done on this. It was first mentioned in the early 1900s before chemotherapy.”

In 1931, Otto Warburg was awarded the Nobel Prize for his discovery that cancer cells have an altered metabolism.

Further research has revealed that cancer cells require tremendous amounts of glucose, glutamine (an amino acid) and lipids.

Survivor Jane found that ‘off label’ drugs, designed to treat other conditions such as diabetes and heart disease, can effectively block cancer’s various fuel lines.

Cecile said: “These drugs are not available on the NHS because clinical trials have only been carried out on single treatments, not on a combination.

“I have decided to take things into my own hands.

“I have started fasting whilst having chemotherapy.

“Research shows this weakens cells before they are hit with chemotherapy.”

Working with a nutritionist, Cecile has started a low glycaemic diet with no sugar, and is taking off label drugs and high doses of vitamin D.

She has also been prescribed aspirin and an anti-sickness drug,

Cecile works part-time, regularly goes to the gym and walks her border Collie Blue every day to keep fit.

She said: “We’re taking a holistic approach.

“Specialists will do a full blown clinical assessment and look at my full medical history.

“It is unlikely to be a cure but looking at everything as a whole gives us a feeling of regaining control.”

The family has been living in New Zealand since 2004 and moved to Knutsford during the pandemic to be closer to Cecile’s parents.

The couple want to thank everyone for their support.

Cecile said: “I was absolutely overwhelmed and not expecting such a response.

“The local community has been absolutely amazing.”