A father is in a desperate race against time to save his life after his treatment options on the NHS were exhausted. Serdar Ferit, 45, has been battling stage 4 colon cancer for three-and-a-half years and was given a devastating prognosis: only a 10% chance of surviving five more years. Now, he is seeking alternative treatment abroad to prolong his life and stay with his 12-year-old son, Jaxon.
A Devastating Diagnosis
Serdar, a documentary filmmaker and co-founder of the education platform Lyfta, first noticed blood in his stool in February 2022. He initially dismissed it as hemorrhoids, but after persistent symptoms, he saw a doctor in July and underwent a colonoscopy in September. By then, the cancer had already reached stage 4, spreading to his liver and showing spots on his lungs. “I felt shocked, numb, lost,” he recalls. “When I got home, I Googled and saw the five-year survival rate was 10% on the UK Cancer Research website. I’ll never forget that moment.”
The Hardest Conversation
One of the most challenging moments for Serdar was telling his son about his illness. “The most difficult thing I've ever done in my life is tell my son that I've got cancer,” he says. He chose a quiet green area behind a local church to avoid negative associations. When he explained, Jaxon, then eight, burst into tears and asked, “Why is this happening to me when I’m just eight-years-old?” Serdar adds, “It’s a really difficult position to be in, not to be able to reassure your child that everything is going to be alright.”
Grueling Treatment Journey
Since diagnosis, Serdar has undergone more than 30 chemotherapy infusions, 28 radiotherapy sessions, and several ablations to his lungs and liver. The radiotherapy left him unable to sit due to soreness, and the ablations required morphine for pain relief. Despite these efforts, in mid-2023, doctors told him the cancer would likely become immune to the treatment over time. “The thing that crushed me the most was the thought of not being able to see my son grow up,” he says.
Seeking Hope Abroad
With limited options in the UK, Serdar is now looking to a clinic in Mexico that offers personalized immunotherapy, including CAR-T therapy, cancer vaccines, and monoclonal antibodies. He believes this approach could help his body recognize and destroy cancer cells long-term. The proposed two-year treatment plan costs an estimated £290,000, covering travel, treatment, and insurance. So far, he has raised £97,000 through a GoFundMe campaign, which he started on the same day he signed divorce papers with his ex-wife. “Receiving so much love and support on the same day was so helpful,” he says.
Determined to Beat the Odds
Despite the grim statistics, Serdar remains optimistic. “I'm three-and-a-half years into this journey and I genuinely believe that I'm going to be in that 10% who live beyond five years,” he asserts. His focus is on spending time with his son and supporting his aging parents. “I want to see him grow from a boy into a young man, and I want to love him and support him as he does so.”
Serdar’s outlook on life has transformed through his battle. “Honestly, most of the time I am very happy. I am trying to have as much joy as I can with friends and loved ones. I am saying yes to more experiences,” he says. “I just hope I can live for a while longer so I can really enjoy this new outlook on life for a good number of years.”
