It’s not often that you find two celebrities who go out of their way to save the life of someone they don’t even know.
In 2014, twenty-nine year-old Gemma Nuttall was pregnant with her first child when she received devastating news. Her doctors told her that she had ovarian cancer.
Although treatment was available, it would kill her developing infant in the womb if she accepted the medical intervention. Gemma bravely said no to treatment, finishing her pregnancy, and delivering a healthy baby girl.
Facebook
Although the British mom was thrilled to greet her beautiful baby daughter, her doctors told her there was nothing they could do to prolong her own life because the cancer had spread to her brain and lungs. They told her she only had about six to twelve months to live.
“I have my daughter and… I want to see her grow up,” Gemma said.
Facebook
With her mother’s help, Gemma started researching, looking for help with her condition wherever she could find it. After discovering a “wonder clinic” in Germany that offered immunotherapy treatment, they had renewed hope for her recovery.
The only problem was the cost: it was astronomical.
GoFundMe
Gemma and her determined mother started a fundraising campaign to raise the funds needed for treatment in Germany. The donations were slow to come in, and Gemma had just started to lose hope when she received a life-changing email.
Instagram
The email was from celebrated actress Kate Winslet, who had some astounding news to share. Kate had heard about Gemma’s situation and fundraiser, and she and her “Titanic” costar Leonardo DiCaprio had decided to do something about it.
Instagram
At a private dinner for Leo’s conservation foundation, the pair offered up a very special item for the charity auction: three separate “Jack and Rose”(named for their characters in “Titanic”) date nights. The date nights all sold for a pretty penny, raising £337,504 ($468,118 US) for Gemma’s treatment!
Thrilled and filled with gratitude, Gemma headed to Germany and received a dozen specialized treatments for her cancer. Now, after several clear MRI scans, Gemma is ecstatic to reveal that she is now cancer-free.
Kate stated:
“I was able to help raise an enormous amount of money and Gemma is cancer free today. 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.â€
Twitter
In an emotional telephone interview, Gemma was finally able to thank one of her heroes in person, telling Kate, “I just want to thank you for saving my life.”
“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.â€
Facebook
Want to be happier in just 5 minutes a day? Sign up for Morning Smile and join over 455,000+ people who start each day with good news.