Emma Adams from Ipswich and Mandeep Birdy from Felixstowe, have started a crowdfunding campaign. They aim to build an innovative new platform to support people living with cancer. Hope to Connect will be a platform for people with cancer who are experiencing loneliness. The platform will bring people living with cancer together. It will provide a safe space to connect, understand, and uplift one another, whether for friendship or love.

In 2023, Emma was first diagnosed with cancer and underwent chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and surgery. In 2024, she focused on working through her bucket list with her 17-year-old daughter. But in 2025, she was devastated to learn that not only had she developed a new breast cancer, but it had also spread to her arm, making it stage 4. Now, at just 43 years old, Emma has got a worst-case prognosis of 12 months to live.

Emma said, “As someone who is single and living with cancer, I’ve personally experienced a deep sense of isolation. I’ve been ghosted on dating apps after being honest about my diagnosis, something no one should have to go through. I am lucky to have my daughter, who has already been through so much, and has shown incredible strength through it all.”

App creator, Mandeep Birdy, said, “There are two main focuses on the platform: an area for friendships and companionship, and a separate area for dating. It will be a place where users can find others going through the same thing as you, and it will be at your fingertips whenever you need it, any time of the day or night. It’s not just for single people; it’s for everyone. Having lost loved ones to cancer, and seeing Emma go through her journey, I want so much do something about those moments of loneliness that only someone actually with cancer understands. There’s so much to say about companionship. There’s so much to say about having someone in your life that understands what you’re going through. I’m deeply passionate about this platform and hope it can ease the experience of cancer even if just a little.”

Some of the amazing women Emma has met through her cancer journey have inspired Hope to Connect, and the platform aims to help people with cancer make connections. “It’s my dream to see this platform launched before I pass, to leave a legacy for my daughter, and to help others like me for years to come,” said Emma. “I hope it will help anyone with cancer feel less lonely as they navigate the journey.”

To make Hope to Connect a reality, Emma and Mandeep need funding and support from individuals and local businesses. So they have created a crowdfunding page for those who are keen to help them in any way. They are looking for investors and people who’d like to organise fund-raising activities.
The Hope To Connect crowdfunder is at crowdfunder.co.uk/p/hope-to-connect
You can email Emma and Mandeep at [email protected]. Contact Emma on 07769359644. Find Hope to Connect on socials here: Facebook, LinkedIn and Insta.