13:13, 26 Jul 2026Jess Duggan sends message to the NHS after crowdfunding Enhertu treatmentA dying mum has managed to raise more than £50,000 thanks to the public after appealing in the Mirror for the NHS to fund the life-extending Enhertu drug.‌Jess Duggan, 44, said she has been touched by the “incredible outpouring of humanity, ” which she described as “mind-blowing.” After raising funds to pay for the drug privately, she has now had her first infusion and has celebrated her daughter's sweet 16th and is now desperately hoping to see her son's 13th in September.‌We told how the Enhertu drug is being denied Jess and thousands of other women with breast cancer in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, yet it is free in Scotland and 26 other European countries. Jess says the money raised for her treatment shows how the public feel about this 'cruel' decision.‌A recent poll by Breast Cancer Now revealed 82 per cent of UK adults believe the life-extending drug should be made available to those who need it on the NHS.The mum, who has breast cancer which has spread to her brain and her liver, recently had the agonising task of telling her children she only had six weeks left to live. “They are feeling very angry they are being deprived of their mum because the drug is not an option on the NHS,” she told The Mirror.‌Despite her pain, Jess, from Lewes, is bravely campaigning for the drug to be made available on the NHS, said of the crowdfunding success: “There are so many lovely people. I don’t know who they are. There are so many generous family and friends, they just blow my mind. There are people saying ‘I don’t know who you are but here is some money’. They don’t even know me!“It ’s been a really heartwarming thing to go through in really dark times. You see this incredible outpouring of humanity and generosity and it shows what the public think about this drug and how it should be paid for.”‌She is now urging the new Health Secretary Yvette Cooper to have a “brilliant” start to her latest cabinet role by putting on the pressure for the drug to be funded by the NHS. So far it has been turned down as it is too expensive.Jess was given a six week prognosis on July 1st this year, prompting her decision to ask the public for help pay for the drug, which has been proven to prolong life for six months.“It’s horrible asking people for money but I had just been given the awful news I had six weeks to live,” she told The Mirror. “My friends put an appeal for help on social media and it went live and thank God for them, the money then started coming in. We had a couple of quite big anonymous donations, one for £12,000.‌“Now we’ve raised £50,000 which is enough for five doses because you not only have to pay for the drug but also the nursing, the pharmacy, the oncology equipment and all those associated costs that come with it. It’s not much change from £10,000 per round.“I’ve had one so far and fingers crossed it’s all working. Optimistically things feel a big stable." She said after being given the devastating diagnosis she was offered a chemo treatment which had a five per cent chance of helping and then only for a few weeks."It was very much ‘this is hospice time’. It’s really hard for the doctors because they cannot suggest Enhertu to you because they can’t offer it. So it is up to the patient to say ‘what about Enhertu and I can crowd fund’."‌When she did ask them, they said: ‘Yep we’ve discussed it and it’s your best option if you’ve got the money'. They’ve worked really hard because it's not that easy to go private, you've got to find a doctor and hospital willing to do it," she explained.“We have been fortunate that we have had some really lovely people really working on our side with the fundraising and getting access to the drug.”About celebrating her daughter’s 16th recently, she said: “Everything went well, she had a Prom, she enjoyed everything with no health dramas but it was a shame a week later we had to deliver this news.‌“I think it’s fair to say my children are very angry with the Government because this drug is not available. If this drug had been available to me four treatments ago I would be in such a different position, I wouldn’t have the widespread level of cancer I’ve got that this drug has to try and beat.“The six week tightrope is still very threatening, as it really has got to bring me back from the brink and it's whether it is capable at this point. Although I am still optimistic it will give me more time. We will only know if it works if I’m alive or not. We are not waiting to do scans, It’s if my liver doesn’t fail. That’s the reality the Government has put me in“They just keep giving out the same wishy-washy statement while people are dying. Where is their sense of urgency? And imagine if it does work well for me but what do I do in five cycles? Do I just keep begging for money, do I sell my house?‌“What kind of decisions do I have to make around the financial future of my family? It’s just a horrible position to be in. And the drug is there and it’s available. It’s mad. just crazy.”Helen Dickens chief support officer at Breast Cancer Now says: "It’s heartbreaking that Enhertu remains out of reach for people with incurable metastatic breast cancer like Jess, robbing them of the chance of precious extra time to live."No one should have to rely on crowdfunding to access a life-extending treatment that could give them more time with their loved ones...And sadly, Jess isn’t the only one.‌"Since it was rejected for use on the NHS in England two years ago (in 2024), thousands of people with HER2-low metastatic breast cancer have missed out on this vital life-extending drug, and sadly many have already died."Jess and thousands of other people living with incurable metastatic breast cancer, should be spending their precious time left with loved ones, making priceless memories, not campaigning for access to a drug that is already available in Scotland and 25 other European countries."Our petition alongside METUPUK and Make 2nds Count, has already been signed by over 68,000 people. It’s demanding all four parties urgently reach a deal and finally make Enhertu available for those who need it."People with metastatic breast cancer do not have time to wait, they need Enhertu now."‌When approached the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) said 'Enhertu for Her-2 low metastatic breast cancer "remains the only breast cancer treatment NICE has been unable to recommend for patients, in the last eight years."This was because, at the price offered by the company, in 2024, the treatment was too expensive for the benefits it provided, and NICE concluded it was not cost effective."As part of the US-UK trade deal, announced in December 2025, NICE is now using a new higher threshold for cost effectives decisions.‌"Given these new circumstances, discussions involving NICE, the companies and NHS England have resumed to try to seek agreement on a commercial offer that would make Enhertu cost effective. NICE stands ready to consider reviewing the guidance if new evidence, including a new commercial offer, were to be put forward by the company."NICE remains committed to getting the best care to patients and we understand the impact this decision has had on the breast cancer community. "A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: "Our deepest sympathies go out to Jess Duggan and all those impacted by breast cancer.Article continues below"Decisions on approving treatments for NHS use are taken by the independent body NICE. As part of the US-UK trade arrangement, NICE is now using a new higher cost-effectiveness threshold, allowing discussions with manufacturers of Enhertu to resume."