More than £15,000 raised in less than a day for Northampton dad to receive overseas cancer treatment

More than £15,000 has been raised in less than 24 hours to help a Northampton dad get the overseas cancer treatment he needs.

Justin Vanezi, owner of authentic Greek food business My Meze BBQ and a DJ for a number of years, was diagnosed with two types of cancer last year and “time is now not on his side”.

One is an extremely rare and aggressive form of blood cancer, called Primary Cutaneous Diffuse B Cell Lymphoma of the leg, and the other is Large B-Cell Lymphoma which grows daily.

Justin has undergone 14 rounds of chemotherapy, 15 rounds of radiotherapy and most recently CAR-T therapy – all in less than 12 months.

However, as all options on the NHS have now been exhausted, his partner Becky Collinson set up an online fundraising page yesterday (May 30) as overseas treatment now appears to be the only option.

The fundraising page reads: “Justin’s cancer is so aggressive that the treatment hasn’t worked.

“We are currently looking at treatment worldwide as there seems to be more options for his rare form of cancer overseas than is currently offered in the UK.

“We have exhausted all options on the NHS and they will no longer support Justin with any further treatment other than palliative or end of life care.”

Within weeks of no treatment, Justin’s leg swells up and large blisters and tumours grow on the top of his leg.

He has been battling this, alongside limited mobility, for more than a year.

“How he has carried on with the pain and discomfort is admirable,” says Rebecca on the fundraising page.

“I would do anything in my power to help save Justin and for us to continue living as a family. We have a three-year-old son Joey and they are both each other’s worlds.

“They are the very best of friends and I can’t think of them being without each other.”

Though they are looking for potential trials for Justin to undertake in the UK, they “cannot just sit back and not look at alternative treatments elsewhere” in the interim.

If Justin requires treatment overseas, they will need to act quickly as his cancer is “very aggressive” and “time is not on their side”.

Any donations not used to find the right treatment for Justin will be donated to Blood Cancer UK and Cancer Research, to make a difference to how this disease impacts other families.

Rebecca said: “I would not want anyone else to endure what we have had to over the past year.”

A number of hospitality businesses, whose owners know Justin through his work with My Meze, have shown their support for the online fundraiser.

The Dough Dept., in Glebe Road, Buckton Fields, is hosting a ‘pay its worth night’ this Friday (June 2) from 5pm until they sell out.

For one night only their usual prices will be scrapped and the venue is asking customers to make a donation of their choice, with all profits going to their “good friend” Justin.

Dessert business The Cake Hole is donating all profits from treat boxes to Justin’s fundraiser this week.

Their Instagram post reads: “It’s not much – just a drop in the ocean really – but it means you get some goodies and we all do something to help a local family who need all the love, luck and support we can give them.”

It is £12 for four treats, £21 for eight, and collection is available from 1pm on Friday (June 2) in Abington – or you can opt for delivery for a small additional fee.

To visit Justin’s online fundraiser and make a donation, click here.