Barrie's Medical Fund
Donation protected
Barrie has been my dear friend for the last 20 years since she began dating her husband Mike. Mike and my husband Scott were good friends in college. Barrie and I hit it off right away because of her fun loving personality as well as her infectious laugh!
She is the mother of 2 children, Jake, 14 and Leah, 16 and was a nurse for 27 years, who devoted her life to helping other people. She is a special person in so many ways and is someone who is always there for her friends and family in times of need, offering her time, energy, knowledge and contacts to friends and family when illness struck. Illness has unfortunately struck Barrie and now she is the one who is in need.
In May of 2012, Barrie received devastating news. After almost a year of gastric problems, a CAT scan revealed that she had tumors in her Gallbladder and Liver. She was formally diagnosed with Cholangiocarcinoma, a rare cancer of the bile ducts. Initially it was thought that the cancer was localized to the liver and gallbladder and after several tests, it was determined that she was a surgical candidate.
In July, 2012 she had surgery to remove approximately 70% of her liver and her gallbladder. At the end of the surgery, the doctor told her the cancer had infiltrated her lymph nodes and was metastatic. After 8 weeks of post surgical healing, Barrie began a potent regimen of chemotherapy for 12 weeks. A subsequent scan revealed new spots in her liver which were managed through ablation.
Again the tumors came back, this time to her lungs and she proceeded to do a second round of chemotherapy…which, after 8 weeks of subjecting herself to this concoction suffering resultant nerve damage including numbness to her fingers and toes, it was determined that the cancer was still progressing.
They weren’t sure where to turn. The online research indicated that chemotherapy was ineffective against this disease. Barrie and Mike found a doctor in New York who specialized in alternative and off label treatments for cancer and were told about a treatment in Germany, called Dendritic Cell Therapy. They did some more research and heard some positive things about it. Being desperate, in April of 2014 they flew to Germany and tried it. The doctor also prescribed additional off-label chemotherapy treatment. This all came at a steep price (approximately $10,000/month) as their insurance company would not cover the Dendritic Cell Therapy or the off label chemo.
Initially, it appeared to be worth it since after 3 months, there seemed to be reductions in Barrie’s cancer. They continued the therapy for an additional 4 months but unfortunately, the cancer began to increase again.
In January, 2015 she qualified for a clinical trial. For 10 weeks they travelled to/from Boston where she was monitored hourly on Fridays with a series of blood tests and EKG’s. During this time Barrie saw some improvement in her blood work but she began to suffer from fluid buildup in her lungs and abdomen which had to be drained weekly. A CT scan revealed that her cancer continued to progress.
They are left with virtually no options at this point but their doctors believe that the new class of drugs called Anti-PD-1 drugs, made by Merck (Keytruda) and Bristol Meyers Squibb (Opdivo) have real potential to work with Barrie’s disease. Trials are ongoing and some patients with her disease have shown reductions in disease. Unfortunately, while this drug is FDA approved, it is not approved for her form of cancer and therefore not covered by insurance. The drug costs $12,500/month which is far beyond their ability to afford, especially in light of the money they have already spent fighting this disease. While they will use what remains of their savings and credit to pay for this, they will not be able to keep up with the costs of this drug. I am asking for any help that you are willing to give so that Barrie can have a chance.
Thank you!
Susan Brier
She is the mother of 2 children, Jake, 14 and Leah, 16 and was a nurse for 27 years, who devoted her life to helping other people. She is a special person in so many ways and is someone who is always there for her friends and family in times of need, offering her time, energy, knowledge and contacts to friends and family when illness struck. Illness has unfortunately struck Barrie and now she is the one who is in need.
In May of 2012, Barrie received devastating news. After almost a year of gastric problems, a CAT scan revealed that she had tumors in her Gallbladder and Liver. She was formally diagnosed with Cholangiocarcinoma, a rare cancer of the bile ducts. Initially it was thought that the cancer was localized to the liver and gallbladder and after several tests, it was determined that she was a surgical candidate.
In July, 2012 she had surgery to remove approximately 70% of her liver and her gallbladder. At the end of the surgery, the doctor told her the cancer had infiltrated her lymph nodes and was metastatic. After 8 weeks of post surgical healing, Barrie began a potent regimen of chemotherapy for 12 weeks. A subsequent scan revealed new spots in her liver which were managed through ablation.
Again the tumors came back, this time to her lungs and she proceeded to do a second round of chemotherapy…which, after 8 weeks of subjecting herself to this concoction suffering resultant nerve damage including numbness to her fingers and toes, it was determined that the cancer was still progressing.
They weren’t sure where to turn. The online research indicated that chemotherapy was ineffective against this disease. Barrie and Mike found a doctor in New York who specialized in alternative and off label treatments for cancer and were told about a treatment in Germany, called Dendritic Cell Therapy. They did some more research and heard some positive things about it. Being desperate, in April of 2014 they flew to Germany and tried it. The doctor also prescribed additional off-label chemotherapy treatment. This all came at a steep price (approximately $10,000/month) as their insurance company would not cover the Dendritic Cell Therapy or the off label chemo.
Initially, it appeared to be worth it since after 3 months, there seemed to be reductions in Barrie’s cancer. They continued the therapy for an additional 4 months but unfortunately, the cancer began to increase again.
In January, 2015 she qualified for a clinical trial. For 10 weeks they travelled to/from Boston where she was monitored hourly on Fridays with a series of blood tests and EKG’s. During this time Barrie saw some improvement in her blood work but she began to suffer from fluid buildup in her lungs and abdomen which had to be drained weekly. A CT scan revealed that her cancer continued to progress.
They are left with virtually no options at this point but their doctors believe that the new class of drugs called Anti-PD-1 drugs, made by Merck (Keytruda) and Bristol Meyers Squibb (Opdivo) have real potential to work with Barrie’s disease. Trials are ongoing and some patients with her disease have shown reductions in disease. Unfortunately, while this drug is FDA approved, it is not approved for her form of cancer and therefore not covered by insurance. The drug costs $12,500/month which is far beyond their ability to afford, especially in light of the money they have already spent fighting this disease. While they will use what remains of their savings and credit to pay for this, they will not be able to keep up with the costs of this drug. I am asking for any help that you are willing to give so that Barrie can have a chance.
Thank you!
Susan Brier
Organizer and beneficiary
Susan Sirken Brier
Organizer
Cherry Hill, NJ
Michael Friedenberg
Beneficiary
