A mother who was told she would die after delaying vital cancer treatment until she had given birth has been given the all-clear – after Leonardo Di Caprio and Kate Winslet saved her life.
Gemma Nuttall was undergoing her first pre-natal scan when she was told she had an aggressive form of ovarian cancer.
But Ms. Nuttall, from Rossendale, Lancashire, refused potentially life-saving drugs because they would have terminated the pregnancy.
Her daughter Penelope was born healthy but NHS doctors later delivered the devastating news to Ms. Nuttall that there was nothing more they could do.
Ms. Nuttall, 29, was given as little as six months to live and put on end-of-life care.
Gemma Nuttall, pictured here with daughter Penelope, has been given the all-clear from cancer after Hollywood A-lister Kate Winslet stepped in to help
Ms Nuttall was told she had aggressive ovarian cancer while pregnant. She refused life-saving treatment because it would have terminated the pregnancy
Gemma launched the fundraising campaign so Penelope did not have to grow up ‘without a mummy’ – and is now cancer free
But Ms. Nuttall and her mother launched a £300,000 fundraising campaign after hearing about a German ‘wonder clinic’.
Hollywood A-lister Kate Winslet heard about Ms. Nuttall’s story and along with Leo, auctioned off three ‘Jack and Rose’ date nights, named after their characters in Titanic.
The prizes went under the hammer at a private dinner in July held in St Tropez for DiCaprio’s conservation foundation.
And Ms. Nuttall finished her treatment five months ago and has now been given the all-clear.
Ms. Nuttall said: ‘I can’t thank Kate enough. Without her donations, and the public’s, my story would be very different. We thought it was a wind-up, but then she called and I realized she was serious.
‘I was so nervous but she asked me how I was feeling and how my treatment was going – she wanted to help.
‘I told her I could never thank her enough and she told me not to be daft. She said she had read about my story online, that she had three kids of her own and had thought about what she would be like in that position.’
Charitable Kate won a prestigious Actors Inspiration Award from the Screen Actors’ Guild in November, partly for her work with Ms. Nuttall.
Ms Nuttall launched a fundraising campaign for treatment in Germany. Kate Winslet heard about her plight and enlisted Leonardo Di Caprio to helo
The stars auctioned off three ‘Jack and Rose’ date nights, named after their characters in Titanic. Ms Nuttall paid for the treatment and is now cancer-free
Kate, 42, said: ‘I was able to help raise an enormous amount of money and Gemma is cancer free today.’
And receiving the award, she added: ‘The greatest privilege has been learning how to use my voice to help others. Standing up for individuals who don’t have the means to stand up for themselves… helping a person who is dying – she’s still alive by the way – because they don’t have the money that could pay for specialist treatment that could save her life.’
Ms. Nuttall first found out she was pregnant in 2013 but doctors found large cysts on her ovaries and tests revealed she had aggressive cancer.
She was told by doctors she needed treatment that would have terminated the pregnancy – but refused.
She said: ‘I went home and I told my partner ‘I can’t get rid of her’.
‘She saved my life, she was the reason my cancer had been discovered. I felt I had to repay the favor.’
At 26 weeks devastated Gemma was told the disease had spread to her cervix. She had an emergency Cesarean, immediately followed by surgery to remove the tumor.
Gemma and her mother Helen, who sold off her house to help pay for treatment in Germany
Gemma gave birth to Penelope after 26 weeks and the baby weighed 4lbs 5oz when she was born on March 24, 2014. Two weeks later dental nurse Gemma began six months of chemotherapy
‘They held Penelope up to me, I saw her and then they took her away and put me to sleep,’ she says.
‘So I didn’t get that precious moment to hold my baby and feel that rush of emotion. I was too unwell to see her that night when I woke up, which was heartbreaking because it was all I wanted to do. It wasn’t until the following day when I was taken to see her in my wheelchair.
‘She was in an incubator and I reached in and held her hand, for as long as I could. We were both alive and that was all that mattered.’
Penelope weighed 4lbs 5oz when she was born on March 24, 2014. Two weeks later, dental nurse, Gemma began six months of chemotherapy.
She was cancer free for more than a year but then found a lump on the back of her head.
A -lister Kate and Gemma text from time to time and have even spoken about meeting up soon
Doctors at Royal Blackburn Hospital later confirmed that Gemma had a stage four a tumor. Gemma recalls the moment vividly and sobs: ‘I could see the devastation on the consultant’s face when he told me.
‘Then my mum and I burst into tears. I faced brain surgery and was told I might not be the same person afterward. It was terrifying.’
The brain op went well at Preston Royal Hospital but a tumor could not be fully removed because of its position. The rest would be targeted by radiotherapy.
Swollen by steroids, with one eye closed for six months, Gemma began a job as a soft play center manager.
But months later she started having headaches and doctors found eight new tumors dotted around her head. The mum, who had recently split up with her partner saying she had ‘shut down’ her emotions, was given more chemotherapy and radiotherapy, losing her hair for the second time.
Finally, she was told nothing more could be done. She adds: ‘I was told I needed to make a will and put things in place for Penelope when I was gone.
‘I felt written off completely. But my mum thought ‘I’m not having this. I’m not going to let my daughter die’.’
Mum Helen Sproates, 56, says she ‘fell apart’ seeing Gemma receiving the devastating news. Helen had read about immunotherapy – which boosts the body’s natural defenses – that was available at Germany’s Hallwang Clinic. She sold her house and set up a fundraising page asking for further donations to cover the immense cost.
Gemma flew to Germany last May and started a six-session course of immunotherapy, costing up to £70,000 a time. But she only had enough money for the first round.
Then in July, Helen received an email from Kate Winslet’s PA, saying she desperately wanted to help.
The star’s financial support, combined with public donations and money from Helen’s house sale, funded the treatment. Helen explains: ‘Kate told me from one mum to another mum, she couldn’t let my daughter die.
‘She’s been brilliant. She’s lovely, really down to earth and funny, it’s just like chatting with a friend. Leonardo DiCaprio has a massive ball for his foundation every year, so Kate contacted him. They came up with a plan to auction themselves off. They sold three dates between them.’
Kate spoke about her intervention during an appearance on Graham Norton. She told the TV host: ‘Back in July I was doing some fundraising for a cancer sufferer who desperately needed funds for a lifesaving treatment. I called Leo and said: ‘Can we do a dinner with Jack and Rose?’
‘His foundation is completely unbelievable and he said: ‘We’ll auction off Jack and Rose for dinner and we’ll make those funds’. We raised $1.35 million dollars.’
Helen adds: ‘We are more grateful than I can put into words. I really want to say thank you to every single person who donated, including Kate and Leo
‘They raised so much they have been able to donate money to other charities too. They saved my daughter.’ In November, two months after finishing her course of immunotherapy at The Hallwang, Gemma went for a scan at The Christie cancer treatment clinic in Manchester.
She was told she is cancer free. She says: ‘I was amazed. For the scans to come back clear, it means the immunotherapy is working. We were thrilled.’
Gemma will have her next scan later this month. Depending on the result, she is planning to have more immunotherapy to strengthen her position even more. Her GoFundMe page is reopening for donations.
Kate and Gemma text from time to time and have even spoken about meeting up soon.
Gemma smiles: ‘I think we would just have a general chit chat if we met up, she’d want to take my mind off it all. I’d love to introduce her to Penelope. I have been asked if I regret having Penelope. But I’d never think that. She saved my life. If it wasn’t for her I might not be here now.
You can support Gemma at gofundme.com/teamgemma
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