Almost £60,000 raised in hope of securing overseas cancer treatment for Northampton dad

A fundraising page set up in the hope of securing overseas cancer treatment for a Northampton father is now approaching £60,000.

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 been exhausted, his partner Becky Collinson set up an online fundraising page at the end of May to fund the only avenue left – overseas treatment and trials.

Within weeks of no treatment after being given this news, Justin’s leg had swelled and large blisters and tumours grew at the top.

Justin has openly shared his battle with cancer on his social media platforms and is currently undergoing treatment in the UK in the hope it will minimise his suffering.

Though he is battling a number of symptoms, he is remaining as positive as he can – something his family and friends have continued to praise him for throughout this process.

Last month, this newspaper shared the “selfless” businesses that have shown their support to the fundraiser.

After just a month-and-a-half, at the time of writing, the fundraising page sits at £58,364.

One event that is hoping to boost the fundraising pot is VanezFest – a family day of food, music and games planned from 12pm until 6pm on August 13.

The event will be held at Pitsford Quarry, in Harborough Road, and there are already a number of vendors confirmed to be there.

These include Justin’s business My Meze BBQ, pizzas from The Dough Dept., burgers from MOO Hatch, JeydaCakes, sweet treats from Gorge, and The Courtyard Creperie.

Tickets are priced at £3 for adults and children under 12 can enter for free.

There will be more information to follow in the coming weeks, and anyone who wishes to help contact the event organisers directly through the page to purchase tickets.

For Justin, this journey is not just about raising funds and securing overseas treatment but raising awareness of blood cancer – which is becoming more common in younger people.

“I didn’t know anything about it before my diagnosis,” he said. “The symptoms can be similar to anxiety and stress.”

Justin experienced unexpected dizziness and feeling clammy before going to the doctors to get checked out, but he says others might experience less prominent symptoms.

For those who have been diagnosed, Justin said: “Always research your cancer yourself. Make sure you challenge the doctors if you feel they are not looking into something enough or not giving you the treatment you want.

“If I could go back, I’d push more.”

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.

To visit Justin’s online fundraiser and make a donation, click here and you can purchase tickets to VanezFest here.