Gail's Medical Expense Fund
Donation protected
Hello family, friends and co- workers. I wanted to let you know about a need we have regarding my wife Gail’s health whom I will have been married to 23 years this fall , and to provide anyone who would like to, an opportunity to help us financially. Gail was recently diagnosed with stage 2 cancer of the uterus . As well , there is a tumor on her right ovary which they believe based from MRI results is now likely cancerous , contrary to what was initially suggested to us . Gail has now had an in depth 3 hour meeting with the oncology staff at the Vancouver Cancer Centre , going through exams , filling out paperwork for upcoming surgery and been given details of what is involved in treatment . Needless to say, she is very scared of this whole process, and combined with waiting for each test to be performed, this has been long and drawn out already . Gail will need a radical hysterectomy but the full scope of the cancer won’t be determined until they can start the surgery . Presently they are suggesting a wait of 2 to 5 weeks .
Gail is now experiencing abdominal pain and growing more uncomfortable daily. It seems critical that she get surgery as soon as possible. Not a very nice feeling wondering in the meantime what is developing inside her body. Due to summer holidays, surgeries are backed up and the last phone call we received , they were looking into September . We are also waiting for a PET scan to show details that the MRI and Ultrasound do not show as readliy .The Cancer Clinic said she is on the urgent list for both, but so are many others unfortunately.
The reason we are seeking funding help, is because we want to do everything possible to ensure Gail’s best chance of survival and recovery and allow me to be at home as much as possible to aid her post operation . I am sure many of you have heard of various alternative clinics and treatments to fight cancer but are not covered under the BC Medical System. We are very keen on including alternative treatments as part of Gail’s game plan in this fight and have done enough research to understand and believe we would be negligent to not include these methods. What we are able to do in this regard will depend on how much financial assistance we can raise as it is always pricey . Currently , we have started working with the Integrated Health Clinic in Fort Langley under the care of Dr. Parmar http://www.integratedhealthclinic.com/_aboutus/_bios/gurdevParmar.htm . Some of the treatments we are engaging in or hope to include the following before and after surgery are :
- IV treatment designed to stabilize the affected areas so cancer can’t spread easliy either before or after surgery . She has also started a prescription drug that is made for this but it cannot be used for too long a period otherwise the kidneys can be affected .
- Local hyperthermia (heat) treatments – this is a proven procedure done in Europe where parts of the body or the whole body are subjected to high amounts of heat over several hours . This accomplishes two things . At approx. 45 degrees Celsius cancer cells are killed leaving healthy cells unaffected . In conjunction with this , low dose chemotherapy is used and drawn to the affected area due to the heat . The heat also causes those cells to “open up “ and destabilize , therefore allowing the chemo to be much more effective . It makes the chemo become almost heat seeking so to speak .
- IV drip for detoxing the chemo and various chemicals in the body afterwards , there bye removing one more thing Gail’s body has to fight . There will be other various treatments involved including things like mistletoe injections ( yes , you heard it right . This is very effective against cancer ) , and weare going to work with a Chinese herbalist but these are the main ones at the moment and the weekly cost of these will be approx. $1200 . These treatments would be expected to last for approx. 7-12 weeks depending on Gail’s progress and test reports , but there would be other maintenance related therapies as well ongoing including permanent hormone replacement after the hysterectomy . So the approximate expense for this would be in the neighbourhood of $15,000 .
- Depending on what we are able to raise ( hence the high target ) , we may even consider a clinic in Mexico where they are performing some amazing alternative treatments ( some are better than others , but friends have provided us with some good referrals based on personal experience ) .
In closing , I want to say that this was an uncomfortable decision to make, but situations sometimes force us to reach out and ask for assistance . Feel free to ask me any questions you like . As well , I will be by Gail’s side at home helping her recover from surgery and will not be able to be out on the road selling as usual for a bit . Fortunately I can still engage my customers from my home office in between caring for Gail , so I am thankful for that . Please do not feel pressured or burdened in any way as I know most of us have our challenges , but know that you have our deepest appreciation for any support that you can provide big or small . I will provide updates on this page as they become available to post .
Thank you.
Jim and Gail Verwoerd
Gail is now experiencing abdominal pain and growing more uncomfortable daily. It seems critical that she get surgery as soon as possible. Not a very nice feeling wondering in the meantime what is developing inside her body. Due to summer holidays, surgeries are backed up and the last phone call we received , they were looking into September . We are also waiting for a PET scan to show details that the MRI and Ultrasound do not show as readliy .The Cancer Clinic said she is on the urgent list for both, but so are many others unfortunately.
The reason we are seeking funding help, is because we want to do everything possible to ensure Gail’s best chance of survival and recovery and allow me to be at home as much as possible to aid her post operation . I am sure many of you have heard of various alternative clinics and treatments to fight cancer but are not covered under the BC Medical System. We are very keen on including alternative treatments as part of Gail’s game plan in this fight and have done enough research to understand and believe we would be negligent to not include these methods. What we are able to do in this regard will depend on how much financial assistance we can raise as it is always pricey . Currently , we have started working with the Integrated Health Clinic in Fort Langley under the care of Dr. Parmar http://www.integratedhealthclinic.com/_aboutus/_bios/gurdevParmar.htm . Some of the treatments we are engaging in or hope to include the following before and after surgery are :
- IV treatment designed to stabilize the affected areas so cancer can’t spread easliy either before or after surgery . She has also started a prescription drug that is made for this but it cannot be used for too long a period otherwise the kidneys can be affected .
- Local hyperthermia (heat) treatments – this is a proven procedure done in Europe where parts of the body or the whole body are subjected to high amounts of heat over several hours . This accomplishes two things . At approx. 45 degrees Celsius cancer cells are killed leaving healthy cells unaffected . In conjunction with this , low dose chemotherapy is used and drawn to the affected area due to the heat . The heat also causes those cells to “open up “ and destabilize , therefore allowing the chemo to be much more effective . It makes the chemo become almost heat seeking so to speak .
- IV drip for detoxing the chemo and various chemicals in the body afterwards , there bye removing one more thing Gail’s body has to fight . There will be other various treatments involved including things like mistletoe injections ( yes , you heard it right . This is very effective against cancer ) , and weare going to work with a Chinese herbalist but these are the main ones at the moment and the weekly cost of these will be approx. $1200 . These treatments would be expected to last for approx. 7-12 weeks depending on Gail’s progress and test reports , but there would be other maintenance related therapies as well ongoing including permanent hormone replacement after the hysterectomy . So the approximate expense for this would be in the neighbourhood of $15,000 .
- Depending on what we are able to raise ( hence the high target ) , we may even consider a clinic in Mexico where they are performing some amazing alternative treatments ( some are better than others , but friends have provided us with some good referrals based on personal experience ) .
In closing , I want to say that this was an uncomfortable decision to make, but situations sometimes force us to reach out and ask for assistance . Feel free to ask me any questions you like . As well , I will be by Gail’s side at home helping her recover from surgery and will not be able to be out on the road selling as usual for a bit . Fortunately I can still engage my customers from my home office in between caring for Gail , so I am thankful for that . Please do not feel pressured or burdened in any way as I know most of us have our challenges , but know that you have our deepest appreciation for any support that you can provide big or small . I will provide updates on this page as they become available to post .
Thank you.
Jim and Gail Verwoerd
Organizer
Jim Verwoerd
Organizer
Abbotsford, BC
