A Scots mum diagnosed with the same form of cancer as her late friend has been given weeks to live and is now in a race against time to secure life-extending treatment.
Jane Loftus, 62, originally from the Isle of Skye but now living in Utah, was diagnosed with Stage 4 Pancreatic Cancer in October 2024. after five agonising months of misdiagnosis – costing her insurance around £1.6million.
By the time doctors discovered the truth, the cancer had already spread to her liver. Jane, a devoted mother of two was told she might not make it to Christmas.
Against the odds, she has responded well to chemotherapy, with her liver tumours showing signs of shrinkage. The only real chance she has at prolonging her life is a revolutionary procedure called Histotripsy – a treatment that uses ultrasound waves to destroy kidney tumours without surgery.
She told the Record: “A Histotripsy could add up to ten years to my life.
“I was first told about it by my friend who had the exact same illness as me. She passed away around four weeks ago before she was able to receive it.
“I hope that Histotripsy will give me longer in this world. There could be a cure in ten years. I just need to get there.”
Jane is too young to qualify for the life-changing treatment and her insurance has refused to pay out. She now faces an eye watering £46,000 bill to undergo the procedure.
The expat, who helps young mums graduate high school and attend college, first noticed her shoulder was sore in May last year. She said the pain soon became unbearable but doctors dismissed her symptoms multiple times and accused her of seeking pain medication.
“For two months, doctors told me it was all in my head,” she said. “That was really hard to deal with. I kept saying, if that’s the case, then put me in the psych ward. I kept fighting, and eventually, they found what they thought were abscesses in my liver.”
What doctors initially thought were abscesses turned out to be tumors.
Five months later on October 22 she was diagnosed with Stage 4 pancreatic cancer.
By that time, Jane had lost so much weight that medics feared she wouldn’t see Christmas.
She said her two sons, Jason, 36, and Michael, 35, refused to let her give up. Jason took three months of unpaid leave to care for her full-time.
She said: “I had been lying there for five months with cancer eating me alive, and they had no clue.
“My sons are the reason I’m still here.
“They built me back up after I dropped to just seven stone. I’m still fighting because of them.
“With a lot of cancers, it spreads to your liver, and that’s what kills you.
“Histotripsy would clear my liver of tumours and make me strong enough to fight the original disease. My friend died of liver failure before she could get it – I don’t want that to happen to me.”
A GoFundMe set up to help cover the cost of Histotripsy has already raised £12,000, but she still has a long way to go.
She added: “I can’t believe how generous people have been. I’m usually the one who gives to causes, so it’s really hard to be on the other side of it.”
For anyone who wants to help, Jane’s fundraiser can be found at https://gofund.me/3e94d278.