As many of you may know, our friend, dad, colleague, uncle, cousin, son, brother, bandmate, and dad-jokester extraordinaire, Miles, has had several showdowns with cancer in the past few years.
He's contended with various treatments, and had two major surgeries, each time seeming to beat it, and declared clean in ensuing scans. But this unwelcome guest just doesn't get the hint, and it keeps returning.
Earlier this summer, Miles was diagnosed with cancer for the third time in three years, and this time, due to the location of the mass (a liposarcoma, a very rare type of cancer), doctors have deemed the cancer inoperable.
However, Miles isn't hanging up his gloves by a long shot — he's too stubborn and has too much stuff he wants to do, like riding his motorcycle, writing his illustrious memoir, getting back to work with his cherished colleagues at Long and McQuade Musical Instruments, and, having tamed the bass into submission, figuring out how to shred on the ukulele.
And so he's embarked on a regimen of chemotherapy for the next while, in hopes of stalling and/or shrinking the cancer.
While we're blessed to live in Canada, where our wonderful universal healthcare covers many costs, there are still out-of-pocket expenses. These can become daunting when you've had to stop working due to chronic pain and difficult cancer treatments, and are on disability benefits at a fraction of your previous salary.
Miles has maxed out his yearly calendar limit on his insurance company's prescription benefits. He also relies on daily doses of medical-grade CBD oil to help with his pain, and this is quite expensive, and not covered by benefits. And then there is a mortgage and the day-to-day bills and expenses we all have to deal with, which are tough to meet on disability payments. With the COVID-19 pandemic, many people, including Miles, were off work and on federal Employment Insurance benefits while retailers were shuttered. Even if workplaces re-opened and people have gone back to work, many are still scrambling to make ends meet from having to live on less for months.
Miles would also like to travel to see his dad Tom, son Angus, and other family and friends in B.C. after his next round of chemo. We're planning a road trip that will include Marlon's beast of a station wagon, his 1970 Pontiac Safari (an apartment on wheels), which Miles is keen to take a turn piloting through the Rockies.
We know times are tough for everyone, and it's a hard time to ask for help, but we're asking for you to consider donating to make Miles's medical care and life just a bit easier and brighter at this time. Added financial stress when you're facing another fight for your life can have a profound effect on one's mental and physical wellbeing. Every little bit will help!
With love from the Durrie family.
He's contended with various treatments, and had two major surgeries, each time seeming to beat it, and declared clean in ensuing scans. But this unwelcome guest just doesn't get the hint, and it keeps returning.
Earlier this summer, Miles was diagnosed with cancer for the third time in three years, and this time, due to the location of the mass (a liposarcoma, a very rare type of cancer), doctors have deemed the cancer inoperable.
However, Miles isn't hanging up his gloves by a long shot — he's too stubborn and has too much stuff he wants to do, like riding his motorcycle, writing his illustrious memoir, getting back to work with his cherished colleagues at Long and McQuade Musical Instruments, and, having tamed the bass into submission, figuring out how to shred on the ukulele.
And so he's embarked on a regimen of chemotherapy for the next while, in hopes of stalling and/or shrinking the cancer.
While we're blessed to live in Canada, where our wonderful universal healthcare covers many costs, there are still out-of-pocket expenses. These can become daunting when you've had to stop working due to chronic pain and difficult cancer treatments, and are on disability benefits at a fraction of your previous salary.
Miles has maxed out his yearly calendar limit on his insurance company's prescription benefits. He also relies on daily doses of medical-grade CBD oil to help with his pain, and this is quite expensive, and not covered by benefits. And then there is a mortgage and the day-to-day bills and expenses we all have to deal with, which are tough to meet on disability payments. With the COVID-19 pandemic, many people, including Miles, were off work and on federal Employment Insurance benefits while retailers were shuttered. Even if workplaces re-opened and people have gone back to work, many are still scrambling to make ends meet from having to live on less for months.
Miles would also like to travel to see his dad Tom, son Angus, and other family and friends in B.C. after his next round of chemo. We're planning a road trip that will include Marlon's beast of a station wagon, his 1970 Pontiac Safari (an apartment on wheels), which Miles is keen to take a turn piloting through the Rockies.
We know times are tough for everyone, and it's a hard time to ask for help, but we're asking for you to consider donating to make Miles's medical care and life just a bit easier and brighter at this time. Added financial stress when you're facing another fight for your life can have a profound effect on one's mental and physical wellbeing. Every little bit will help!
With love from the Durrie family.