Kate's medical fund
Donation protected
At just 37 years old, Kate was diagnosed with breast cancer in April 2016.
With 2 young children and in her final year of university, Kate and her family do not have private health insurance so she has been using the public system for her care. While she's been receiving good care, she has less options in terms of utilising the best treatments to ensure her cancer is managed optimally to reduce recurrance and also new cancers developing.
Kate has been told that for the best outcome, she needs to have her tumor assessed using a special test called an Oncotype DX test to determine if she needs chemotherapy. This test predicts how likely the breast cancer is to come back at some point and thus, helps doctors choose the best type of treatment for the cancer. Unfortunately this test is very costly at $4,500 and needs to be funded by the patient. Kate has been told that she does not qualify for chemotherapy without this test indicating that it is necessary for her tumor type so, if her cancer is of a high risk, it will not be treated adequately without chemotherapy drugs and will be likely to recur in future. Only the Oncotype test can determine this and confidently assess if chemotherapy is required, rather than just taking the chance as they are doing now.
Kate was fortunate to recently have been given the opportunity to consult with a surgical breast oncologist privately. This doctor specialises in cancer in young women and has advised Kate that, with the type of cancer she has, and the risk factors associated with her breast tissue, she has a very high chance of a new cancer developing in the next year or so. He highly recommends that Kate have a double mastectomy and reconstruction within the next few months. Radiation therapy is not an option with this type of surgery which is also why it is very important to test her tumor with the onkotype DX test. Unfortunately this surgery is not currently being offered for Kate in the public system so it needs to be funded privately.
Combined costs for the onkotype DX test and the double mastectomy and reconstruction will be around $25,000 so we are hoping to raise about half of that or possibly more, if we can, to ensure that Kate has a long and healthy life with her family.
Should any funds be remaining beyond Kate's treatment costs, they will be donated to the McGrath Foundation.
Thank you for reading!
With 2 young children and in her final year of university, Kate and her family do not have private health insurance so she has been using the public system for her care. While she's been receiving good care, she has less options in terms of utilising the best treatments to ensure her cancer is managed optimally to reduce recurrance and also new cancers developing.
Kate has been told that for the best outcome, she needs to have her tumor assessed using a special test called an Oncotype DX test to determine if she needs chemotherapy. This test predicts how likely the breast cancer is to come back at some point and thus, helps doctors choose the best type of treatment for the cancer. Unfortunately this test is very costly at $4,500 and needs to be funded by the patient. Kate has been told that she does not qualify for chemotherapy without this test indicating that it is necessary for her tumor type so, if her cancer is of a high risk, it will not be treated adequately without chemotherapy drugs and will be likely to recur in future. Only the Oncotype test can determine this and confidently assess if chemotherapy is required, rather than just taking the chance as they are doing now.
Kate was fortunate to recently have been given the opportunity to consult with a surgical breast oncologist privately. This doctor specialises in cancer in young women and has advised Kate that, with the type of cancer she has, and the risk factors associated with her breast tissue, she has a very high chance of a new cancer developing in the next year or so. He highly recommends that Kate have a double mastectomy and reconstruction within the next few months. Radiation therapy is not an option with this type of surgery which is also why it is very important to test her tumor with the onkotype DX test. Unfortunately this surgery is not currently being offered for Kate in the public system so it needs to be funded privately.
Combined costs for the onkotype DX test and the double mastectomy and reconstruction will be around $25,000 so we are hoping to raise about half of that or possibly more, if we can, to ensure that Kate has a long and healthy life with her family.
Should any funds be remaining beyond Kate's treatment costs, they will be donated to the McGrath Foundation.
Thank you for reading!
Organizer
Callie Evans
Organizer
Fulham Gardens, SA