Mum with terminal cancer aims to raise £10K with a festival event

An Oxfordshire woman is looking to raise money to put on a festival for her friends and family following her diagnosis of a rare and aggressive form of terminal cancer.

Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma (ACC) affects only five in every million people in the UK.

In April this year, Charlotte Rooney was presented with the news that she had Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma (ACC), a type of head and neck cancer. ACC is a rare form of salivary gland cancer affecting only five in every million people in the UK.

The 34-year-old, who lives in Banbury with her partner and 4-year-old daughter, is currently undergoing intense radiotherapy treatment and has been told chances of being cured are in the single percentages. She said: “In January, I noticed a blocked nose without any other cold-like symptoms. “After waiting for it to subside on its own for two to three weeks, I went to the doctor, but was sent away twice.”

“By the middle of February, I started developing a tingling sensation in the right side of my face. As the nose didn’t clear and the tingling became burning, I went back to the GP and was diagnosed with Trigeminal Neuralgia. They referred me to ENT, but the wait to be seen was about 20 weeks.”

“The pain in the face worsened so with help from my parents, I had a private consultation. The ENT doctor found a polyp in my nose and, to rule out anything serious, requested scans and a surgical biopsy. On April 18, my consultant said I had Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma, a terminal cancer and the chances of being cured are in the single percentages.”

Event planned for October

Alongside her sister, Sophie Rooney, who grew up in Hook Norton, but now lives in the Lake District, the pair are planning a festival once the unwanted side effects of Charlotte’s radiotherapy wear off.

The private event will take place on 12th October 2024 at Hadsham Farm in Horley, which has provided the event space at a discounted rate to host the festival.

The sisters are hoping local people and businesses will support the festival and have set up a JustGiving page for donations. See their JustGiving page here: https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/charlotte-rooney

Plea to local companies to donate prizes and sponsorship

They aim to raise £10,000 to put on the festival, with proceeds on the evening going to Oracle Head & Neck Cancer UK. The sisters are also calling on Oxfordshire-based companies who may want to donate raffle prizes, auction items or become a drink or food sponsor.

Sophie Rooney said: “Seeing Charlotte approach her treatment with such grit and determination has encouraged us to do something big that we can look forward to once the unwanted side effects of radiotherapy wear off. “She is incredibly sociable and one of her dreams is to host a festival for friends and family. We are hoping to raise enough money to throw one heck of an event.”

Michelle Vickers, chief awareness officer at Oracle Head & Neck Cancer UK, says: “Head and neck cancer is the seventh most common cancer and yet many people have never heard of it. We hope the Oxfordshire community gets behind them to put on a fantastic event for Charlotte and her friends and family whilst also raising funds for Oracle Head & Neck Cancer UK to help combat the head and neck cancer crisis.”

Oracle funded research into ACC

Oracle is proud to be funding an project at the Institute of Cancer Research looking into new therapeutic options for ACC.

We have also agreed to fund a second project taking place at Brunel University London, also focused on improving survival of patients with ACC. See New treatment options for Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma.