Young Mother Battles Aggressive Brain Cancer with Pioneering Treatment Abroad

 Rotherham, South Yorkshire – April 2025 — A young mother from Rotherham is facing the fight of her life after being diagnosed with a rare and aggressive form of brain cancer. Sophie White, 23, was enjoying a family meal at a local pub when she suddenly began slurring her speech and experienced an unexpected seizure. What began as a seemingly minor medical episode quickly turned into a life-altering ordeal.

Sophie was rushed to Rotherham Hospital on June 8, 2023, where scans revealed a tumour on her brain. Following further investigations, she was diagnosed with stage four glioblastoma — the most aggressive type of brain cancer. Despite undergoing two surgeries, multiple rounds of chemotherapy, and radiotherapy, Sophie’s cancer proved unresponsive to conventional treatment.

In February 2025, Sophie was told the devastating news: her tumour had not only grown but had spread to the opposite side of her brain, making further surgery impossible. Doctors informed her that her prognosis was between 12 and 18 months to live.

Her mother, Helen Schofield, 45, has been by her side throughout, determined to seek out alternative options.
“We went out for a meal at a local pub. She started slurring her words. I thought she was messing around at first but then I realised she couldn’t get her words out,” Helen recalled of the night Sophie's symptoms first appeared.

Refusing to accept the prognosis, Helen embarked on an exhaustive search for potential therapies and discovered a pioneering immunotherapy clinic in Cologne, Germany. The IOZK Clinic specialises in personalised treatments that combine an oncolytic virus and the patient’s tumour material with dendritic cells to create a custom vaccine. The treatment is designed to stimulate the immune system to recognise and destroy cancer cells.

“After hours and hours of research, we have found a clinic in Germany that provides immunotherapy treatment which is a targeted treatment for her specific tumour,” Helen explained.
“The vaccine would then activate Sophie’s immune system to help fight the tumour and get the cells back to good health and kill the cancerous ones.”

Thanks to widespread community support and fundraising efforts, the family has raised over £96,000 (€112,452), enabling Sophie to travel to Germany for consultation and her first round of treatment.

Sophie, a devoted mother to three-year-old Remi, continues to inspire those around her with her resilience and determination.
“She is an absolute warrior,” Helen said. “She gets up every day and fights so hard against this illness to make the best life for Remi. She has such a positive attitude for life and she’s a fantastic mum.”

A follow-up scan is scheduled in Sheffield for early July, which will provide an initial indication of the treatment’s effectiveness. Helen acknowledges that it may take until a second scan to see measurable improvement but remains hopeful.
“The treatment has a 65 per cent chance of working, which I think is quite high. You want to do absolutely whatever you can,” she said.

As Sophie continues her courageous journey, her story stands as a powerful reminder of a mother’s love, the strength of community, and the unrelenting hope for a medical breakthrough.