A life coach and mentor saw his appeal for funding specialist treatments including red light therapy and hyperbaric oxygen go viral. Now he has £110,000 in his ‘war chest’.
When he was only 32, Josh Vinter-Jackson received the devastating news no one ever wants to hear – a diagnosis of stage four cancer.
The life coach and mentor is now battling against the clock to establish his ‘war chest’ to secure funding for specialist treatments that could give him the greatest opportunity to overcome this illness.
After receiving contributions to his GoFundMe from notable figures including Raymond Blanc, Andrew Lloyd Webber, and his former Made In Chelsea mate James Dunmore, plus having his campaign championed by Piers Morgan and George Lineker, Josh has managed to accumulate an impressive £110,000 in under a week – though he still requires your support.
Back in 2020, Josh was employed by a start-up company in Texas, USA. His fitness levels were so exceptional that he completed six gruelling marathons across five days through Jordan’s Wadi Rum desert.
However, it was during this period that he began experiencing abdominal discomfort and endured one sleepless 30-hour period, reports the Mirror.
Initially dismissed as constipation, Josh persevered until medics discovered a golf ball-sized tumour in his colon. At just 28, he received a stage three cancer diagnosis.
He explained: “The doctors told me if I had left it any later it would have ruptured my colon and I could have died,” the now 32 year old revealed to The Mirror. He underwent 12 rounds of chemotherapy over the following six months, which had to be endured in complete isolation due to Covid restrictions.
Josh added: “The only person I saw was one friend every 12 days who drove me to chemo and then the nurses in the clinic. It was a long 6 months dealing with that alone and living in the confines of my flat.”
By April 2021, he had successfully entered remission from his cancer, and within a month he completed the Austin marathon in just 1 hour and 49 minutes, raising an impressive £3,829 for cancer research.
Now, five years into his battle with cancer, this amount has been significantly surpassed by his fundraising efforts for a “medical war chest” of specialist treatment, including self-funded chemotherapy, needed “not just survive, but to thrive”. He said: “Standard treatment keeps me alive. But I’m not fighting just to survive, I’m fighting to thrive. To continue coaching others through their battles. To prove that with the right resources and support, Stage 4 doesn’t have to be the end of the story.”
In July 2021, with his cancer in remission, Josh contracted Covid. Subsequently, black spots appeared on his lungs, initially dismissed as lingering effects of the virus.
However, in 2022, a biopsy revealed these black spots were actually cancer cells that had migrated from his colon to his lungs. He was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer of the lungs and informed he would require lifelong chemotherapy.
Josh decided to return to the UK to be closer to his family and temporarily halted his treatment as his condition seemed to be improving. Unfortunately, this proved to be a mistake by February 2023.
“This was a bad move, I developed a terrible cough and my breathing began to deteriorate”, he said.
In December he underwent three rounds of radiation targeting a lymph node in his pelvis. The treatment proved effective and successfully eliminated the lymph node.
By February 2024, he resumed a comprehensive chemotherapy programme with sessions scheduled every two weeks. This severely impacted Josh’s respiratory system, causing his breathing to worsen significantly, leaving him unable to run or carry heavy objects.
He explained: “It’s tough, I’m still young – you have the mindset that you can carry on and do anything when you’re young and then you’re inhibited. I’m making the best, and then you’re inhibited. I’m trying to make the best of it by setting small goals for my daily walks. Six weeks ago I had to pause six times going up a hill and now I can walk all the way up – I want to give myself these challenges.”
In March this year, he suspended his chemotherapy treatment. He contracted a serious lung infection requiring a 10 day hospital admission in April.
Scans in June showed the cancer had metastasised to his spine. He was hospitalised for a pulmonary infection, which necessitated cardiac surgery to drain fluid from around his heart.
Between July and September, Josh endured 40 nights across three different hospitals following excruciating abdominal pain – the root cause of which remains a mystery. He shed 24kg in merely four weeks.
“This was my toughest time to date, and I had no idea when it would end.”
Josh has now relocated to Newmarket and resumed his chemotherapy treatment. He said: “This has made my body recover from all the issues it had faced, currently on an upward tangent of recovery. The plan is to continue my chemo regimen and then have scans in December to determine if I need radiation for my vertebrae. Fingers crossed I don’t.”
Josh’s chemotherapy spans three days – he receives a transfusion before a drip bag containing 48 hours worth of medication is connected to his chest. He explained: “For me that was the hardest thing – there is this alien device attached to you so you can’t really go outside in case a toddler runs into you and knocks it off. The nausea is terrible. At the beginning, I stayed in bed the full-time.”
Josh’s September chemotherapy session proved agonising, prompting him to tell medics he couldn’t endure another round as he was being sick from nausea every hour. Medical staff have now given him medication to control this side effect.
Josh advised: “I urge people to have an open conversation as options are available to and doctors want to make it as comfortable as possible.”
He underwent another round at the end of October – which is when his fundraising campaign gained momentum. Josh said: “This has refocused me more than ever in tackling this and made me want to make as much of a positive change and impression for other people in this position as I can.”
Josh, who retrained as a life-coach for young cancer patients, believes the campaign has propelled him into the next phase of treatment. He said: “It is really humbling and heartwarming – I was in chemo whilst it was going on seeing all the messages and support -I feel overwhelmed.”
However, this encouragement follows five years of challenging hospital admissions, chemotherapy and operations. Josh smashed his £20,000 target within hours of launching the GoFundMe, after receiving a single contribution of £9,163.
“I’d love to know who that was,” he said. “On the day when I launched it I think it had 100 shares – there was a big variety in who posted it for me. Piers Morgan shared it as I went to school with his son. The fact he was happy to put it up was really heartwarming – and suddenly you have access to millions of followers.”
Tending to his garden, enjoying a proper steak and spending precious moments with his loved ones are the modest treats he promises himself for enduring his treatment. He said: “Mentally – knowing when the finish line is helps – so why don’t you set yourself something nice for afterwards.” Josh discovered that battling cancer as a young person can be exceptionally isolating.
Treatment centres and support groups are typically dominated by older patients, making it difficult to find peers of a similar age. He encouraged young cancer patients to connect and seek each other out.
He said: “For young people going through this – you feel like you’re on you’re on your own. It’s important to know that you’re not alone – there are charities available, there are people in the same position – and it’s good to try and meet them. “.
Josh made light of having a photograph of himself receiving IV chemotherapy as a potential dating profile picture, noting that questions such as navigating romance during treatment remain largely unaddressed, but can be explored openly in supportive environments.
“Josh is one of the most extraordinary people I know. Even in the face of the toughest fight imaginable, his courage, humour and determination never waver,” said mate Fred Nathan. “He has always been the person who lifts others up, and now he’s showing all of us what real strength looks like.
“The way he’s tackled every setback with grit and grace is nothing short of inspiring. His fundraiser going viral is a reflection of how deeply he’s loved and how many lives he’s touched, even total strangers.”
To contribute to Josh’s campaign, visit this link.
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