Woman who hosted ‘chemo parties’ during cancer fight | UK | News
Florence Moffat-Charles, 31, hosts ‘chemo parties’ as she battles cancer (Image: Supplied)
Husband and wife, who held inspirational ‘chemo parties’ during her battle with cancer, raised more than £100,000 in four days to see if donating part of her liver could save her life. Florence ‘Flo’ Moffat-Charles, 31, and her husband Josh, 32, from Cumbria, traveled to Türkiye for tests this week after the NHS said they would be admitted to palliative care in England.
The couple were overwhelmed by a staggering influx of more than 2,300 donations from complete strangers after starting a fundraising page at 11.30am on Sunday, with Josh simply writing: “I’m trying to save my wife’s life.” Former charity worker Flo started feeling unwell soon after the couple married on September 23, 2023.
She felt nauseated, fatigued, jaundiced and generally exhausted, but she dismissed it as the stress of planning the couple’s big day. In January 2024, he was diagnosed with a rare progressive liver disease called primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC). PSC is progressive and can make patients more prone to developing cancer.
A year later, Flo and Josh received the nightmare diagnosis that a cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) tumor had developed in the bile duct. During the grueling nine months of chemotherapy that followed, the tireless Flo decided to make the most of visits from friends and family by hosting ‘chemo parties’ from the first day of her treatment.
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Hilarious themes ranged from a stylish day at the beach with parents Aidan and Jackie, cowgirl and double denim, to a mini bachelorette party for her friend Grace, complete with cocktails. “Even though it was so bad what was happening, I decided to call them ‘chemo parties’; it was my coping mechanism and a way of making awful things more bearable,” Flo told the Daily Express.
“I was always allowed one visitor during my chemotherapy sessions and I was so lucky that I always had someone with me.
“We would decide on a different theme each time, and that wonderful friend would usually arrive with a bag of snacks, a hat of some sort, and chemo days would strangely become a day to look forward to.”
Florence and her friend Georgia enjoy a disco-themed party (Image: Supplied)
Florence with parents Aidan and Jackie at a beach-themed party (Image: Supplied)
Flo’s immunotherapy and chemotherapy sessions could last seven hours at a time, but she said it gave her a unique opportunity to spend uninterrupted time with those closest to her.
She added: “You don’t always get to spend that much time with someone, it was really great and social media was also a way to show what someone is going through with these treatments, people don’t really know what it’s like.”
Speaking from the medical center in Türkiye where the couple were being tested, Josh said his wife, who works as a fundraiser for the Sands charity, which supports parents affected by pregnancy loss, had devoted her life to helping others and it was “hard” to now be someone who needed help herself.
Josh posted the couple’s story on social networking site LinkedIn, where it received nearly 3,500 likes. He said: “Seeing the support we received on social media, with complete strangers donating, is a testament to his character as a human being.
“We saw one company CEO anonymously give £1,000 and another man give £10,000, which is truly incredible.”
Flo and Josh, who live with their dog Spencer, aim to raise £200,000 to cover the costs of the transplant operation involving Josh. If an organ is needed from another party, the expenses will also be covered.
Tests so far have shown Josh to be suitable for a transplant, but surgeons have told the couple that certain factors mean they should also consider a donor.
To learn more about Flo and Josh’s story fundraising page here
