Cheshire

A north west mum with extremely rare cancer is fundraising after ‘devastating’ news

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson - 27th December 2021

A Cheshire mum who has been diagnosed with a rare type of cancer has launched a fundraising campaign to fund new treatment.

Rachel Coram, 27, is hoping to undergo immunotherapy treatment that could give her the ‘greatest timeframe’ to spend with her family.

The mum of one says she recently received the ‘devastating news’ that the drugs company won’t fund the treatment for her – leaving her to raise the £100,000 cost herself.

She has now launched a GoFund Me campaign, named Unique Sense of Tumour, which has already raised more than £60,000 at the time of writing.

Rachel, from Poynton, says that ‘time has started to tick a little faster’ in the year since she was diagnosed with Advanced Sclerosing Fibromixoid Sarcoma.

She was told that tumours had been found in her spine, breast, stomach, knee, neck, liver and lungs on Christmas Eve last year, Cheshire Live reports.

Rachel says she’s one of the only people in the UK with her type of Sarcoma cancer, meaning the treatment options available ‘haven’t changed in the last 40 years’.

In her fundraising campaign, she writes: “As most of you will know I’m Rach. I was diagnosed with Advanced Sclerosing Fibromixoid Sarcoma in Dec 2020.

“I never wanted a ‘diagnosis time frame’ as I have always tried to as positive as possible… it’s nearly been a year of different types of treatments and medicines and time has started to tick a little faster.

“Sarcomas are so rare that treatment options for them haven’t changed in the last 40 years! My oncologist has explained to me many times that the chemotherapy options available won’t be very successful for my type of Sarcoma, however there is the option to try Immunotherapy.

“He has had the discussion with the Royal Marsden and they have seen some positive results with this line of treatment.

“I however, recently received the devastating news that the drugs company will not fund immunotherapy as a treatment option for me.

Read more: ‘Thank you Janice Long’ – tributes pour in for trailblazing DJ after her death on Christmas Day

“They have said that there are alternative (cheaper) routes I could explore first… When we all know those options won’t be as successful or give me the greatest timeframe & I obviously want a lifetime and more with my little family. The treatment to self fund is £100,000.

“I would be so forever grateful for any kind of help or donation to try get us to this goal & allow me to try this treatment to give me as long as I can or you never know, maybe even cure me.

“Thank you, Rach, David and Indie x”

You can donate towards Rachel’s immunotherapy treatment at GoFundMe here.

Featured image: GoFundMe

Cheshire

Four rare African ducklings have been hatched at Chester Zoo for the very first time

Danny Jones Danny Jones

More conversation celebration down the road at Chester Zoo, as the award-winning wildlife park has welcomed four African ducklings who belong to a rare breed.

As is so often the case with the work they do all year-round, their arrival could help signal the species’ survival in the long run, whose status was sadly upgraded from vulnerable to endangered on the official IUCN Red List.

The particular type of fowl we’re referring to is the Maccao duck, a stiff-tailed bird that typically belongs to the fresh and brackish inland waters of Eastern and Southern Africa.

Medium-sized, chunky, with big bills and subtle striping around their heads, they’re gorgeous creatures as is, but especially so as ducklings…

rare african ducklings hatched at chester zoo
‘It’s so fluffy I’m gonna die‘ (Credit: Chester Zoo)

If you didn’t say ‘awww’ out loud, then you’re just lying.

As the Zoo itself put it, they are “rare, fluffy and VERY cute.” Celebrating what is “a breeding breakthrough for one of Africa’s rarest ducks […] so these little guys are kind of a big deal.”

These little delightful little duckies are known for diving down to the bottom of lakes and riverbeds to forage for aquatic invertebrates and plants; in fact, given the choice, they tend to prefer going underwater over flying pretty much full-stop.

As a resident species that doesn’t migrate like many other birds, they are native to nations like Namibia, Zimbabwe and Ethiopia. They’re identifiable by their dark black heads, blue bills (among the males, at least) and presence within the wetlands.

However, their estimated numbers continue to drop, and unfortunately, just 14 of their kind currently remain in Kenya and only 100 in Tanzania, with fewer than 5,000 believed to be left across the entire African continent.

Not only is this the first time the species has ever been successfully bred by bird experts at Chester Zoo, but conservationists hope ducklings will put a spotlight on the threatened species.

rare african ducks chester zoo
Their scientific name is ‘Oxyura maccoa’.
maccao ducks chester zoo
Just like human babies, they prone to stuff all over their face.
As far as ducklings go, these adorable little African variants are pretty special. (Credit: Supplied)

The zoo’s Head of Birds, Andrew Owen, said of their birth: “As one of just seven zoos in Europe – and 12 zoos globally – that care for Maccoa ducks, these ducklings are very special as they’re the first of their kind to ever hatch here at the zoo – making it a really historic moment for our team,

“This success gives a real boost to the future of the species, and these vital new additions will contribute to the safety-net population in zoos. These birds are facing rapid decline in the wild, so every hatchling really does count.

“To see them now out on the water inside our new Heart of Africa habitat, which is dedicated to helping Africa’s most threatened species thrive, makes this milestone even more special.”

Nothing short of brilliant news, we’re sure you’ll agree; better still, in addition to the crucially charitable and conversation-based tourist attraction being named one of England’s most popular destinations once again, but these are the only rare birds welcome by the zookeepers this month.

Read more:

For all the latest news, events and goings on in Greater Manchester, subscribe to The Manc newsletter HERE.

Featured Images — Chester Zoo (supplied)

Cheshire

Chester Zoo named one of England’s most popular tourist attractions with 1.9m visitors

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant Kids at Chester Zoo

Congratulations are in order, yet again, for Chester Zoo… as this time it’s been named one of England’s most popular attractions.

Merely months after being named the UK’s best zoo for the second year running, thanks to receiving more than 11,000 ‘excellent’ reviews from TripAdvisor, Chester Zoo has now got itself another prestigious title, as a major VisitEngland (VE) report has ranked it the third most-visited ‘paid for’ attraction in England – and the most visited outside of London.

The national tourist board for England gathered information from a total of 1,373 attractions across the country, and ranked the UK’s biggest charity zoo as the third overall in terms of popularity, with a whopping 1.9 million visitors in 2024 alone.

The Tower of London took top spot with 2.9 million visitors, while the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew was second place with 2.3 million visitors.

When it comes to free attractions, on the other hand, it wad the British Museum that claimed the top spot with 6.5 million visitors, while the Natural History Museum (5.9 million visitors) took second place, and the Tate Modern (4.6 million visitors) got third.

So as you can see, the south and London in particular is a pretty dominating force in England’s tourism industry – which is why it’s even more impressive to see Chester Zoo ranked so highly.

The new VE title also comes after the zoo was recently given £4 million of lottery funding to help ‘transform’ the local environment and restore wildlife habitats across the Cheshire and wider North West region.

Not only that, but if course follows Chester Zoo’s unveiling of its new immersive experience named Heart of Africa, which is the the largest zoo habitat ever created in the UK and is home to 57 iconic African species.

Chester Zoo has been named one of England’s most popular tourist attractions with 1.9m visitors / Credit: Chester Zoo

“As a major international wildlife charity, everything we do is focused on supporting global conservation,” commented Chester Zoo’s Commercial Director, Dom Strange.

“Whether it’s caring for highly-threatened animals and plants, making scientific discoveries, influencing Government environmental policies, impacting the National Curriculum to better connect young people with nature, or our conservation efforts in around 20 countries, we’re fully committed to protecting endangered species for the future.

“But none of this would be possible without our visitors.

Read more:

“Every person who comes to the zoo for a fun and inspiring day out is helping to fund our vital work, so we want to say a heartfelt thank you to everyone who has supported us and helped us to rank so highly in VisitEngland’s latest report.”

Featured Image –

More Cheshire

Brandon Williams prison statement dangerous driving

Cheshire

Ex-Manchester United player Brandon Williams issues public statement following sentencing

Cheshire Oaks is hosting a FREE exclusive gig this summer to celebrate its 30th anniversary

Cheshire

Cheshire Oaks is hosting a FREE exclusive gig this summer to celebrate its 30th anniversary

Art & Culture

An outdoor cinema is screening a Wicked sing-a-long this autumn

Audio

Clint Boon takes us around Manchester's iconic Deaf Institute

Eats

We go meatballs deep with Mira's traditional Neapolitan sandwiches