Don't Let Cancer Take Our Dream
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Please click on the latest update to see how far we've made it!
*UPDATE* Nikki beat cancer!! We get to move on to IVF!!
Thank you for taking the time to read our story.
My name is Doug. I'm writing today about my beautiful wife, Nikki, who has had a very tough 2017. I'm working so hard to keep our dream alive and care for her, but I'm realizing I can't do it on my own and I need to ask for help.
We desperately wanted to start our family, and given Nikki's 15 year history of infertility (including a very devastating loss), we knew we needed Invitro Fertilization to pursue our dream.
We had initial plans to save money and try an IVF cycle in early 2018, but I landed a temporary job in February 2017 that had incredible IVF med coverage. IVF meds usually aren't covered and can cost from $4000 to $8000. We couldn't pass up this amazing opportunity and contacted the closest fertility clinic to get things started.
On March 22nd 2017, we went in to sign our consent forms to start the cycle. Nikki also had an ultrasound, and then a hysteroscopy. It didn't go well; what the camera showed was very concerning.
To make a long story short, Nikki was diagnosed with Endometrial Cancer. Of those diagnosed, less than 5% are under age 40. My wife was only 33.
You can imagine the emotional toll this has had on us. Here we were thinking we'd be dealing with the emotional and financial strains of fertility treatment, and instead dealing with the devastating reality of cancer.
What has kept us going is the hope that hormone treatment will reverse the cancer long enough for us to try IVF and achieve our family. There is an 80% chance of remission, but the treatment is long and the side effects are difficult. Nikki has experienced extreme exhaustion and insomnia, along with many other unpleasant and painful experiences. She cannot work while on treatment. It can take up to a year.
Since Nikki was diagnosed while on EI (jobs for electricians have been sparse the last couple years, and she was laid off Xmas 2016), she was only entitled to 15 weeks of sick benefits. Those have long since run out. She doesn't qualify for provincial disability because you have to qualify for welfare to apply. Since I make more than $1500 a month, she doesn't qualify. Our last chance of assistance is CPP disability and the application process is about four months. The application has gone in and we expect to hear something back in April 2018.
So I'm currently trying to support the both of us and our IVF savings is slowly dwindling. I'm going in the wrong direction. My wife's next biopsy is January 11th 2018, and it's expected to be clear. It will break my heart if I can't get the money together to do IVF in time. She has gone through seven very difficult months to get through this.
This fall, Nikki worked hard fundraising (pub night and 50/50s), but we still have a bit to go. The cost of IVF is $10,000 without meds.
Please help me keep hope in my wife's heart. She is the sweetest person; who so deserves to be a mom. This year has been so terribly unfair. I hope 2018 brings us the family we have been waiting so patiently for.
I understand that things are tight for a lot of folks, so even if you can just share our story, it would mean the world to me. Thank you! 
*UPDATE* Nikki beat cancer!! We get to move on to IVF!!
Thank you for taking the time to read our story.
My name is Doug. I'm writing today about my beautiful wife, Nikki, who has had a very tough 2017. I'm working so hard to keep our dream alive and care for her, but I'm realizing I can't do it on my own and I need to ask for help.
We desperately wanted to start our family, and given Nikki's 15 year history of infertility (including a very devastating loss), we knew we needed Invitro Fertilization to pursue our dream.
We had initial plans to save money and try an IVF cycle in early 2018, but I landed a temporary job in February 2017 that had incredible IVF med coverage. IVF meds usually aren't covered and can cost from $4000 to $8000. We couldn't pass up this amazing opportunity and contacted the closest fertility clinic to get things started.
On March 22nd 2017, we went in to sign our consent forms to start the cycle. Nikki also had an ultrasound, and then a hysteroscopy. It didn't go well; what the camera showed was very concerning.
To make a long story short, Nikki was diagnosed with Endometrial Cancer. Of those diagnosed, less than 5% are under age 40. My wife was only 33.
You can imagine the emotional toll this has had on us. Here we were thinking we'd be dealing with the emotional and financial strains of fertility treatment, and instead dealing with the devastating reality of cancer.
What has kept us going is the hope that hormone treatment will reverse the cancer long enough for us to try IVF and achieve our family. There is an 80% chance of remission, but the treatment is long and the side effects are difficult. Nikki has experienced extreme exhaustion and insomnia, along with many other unpleasant and painful experiences. She cannot work while on treatment. It can take up to a year.
Since Nikki was diagnosed while on EI (jobs for electricians have been sparse the last couple years, and she was laid off Xmas 2016), she was only entitled to 15 weeks of sick benefits. Those have long since run out. She doesn't qualify for provincial disability because you have to qualify for welfare to apply. Since I make more than $1500 a month, she doesn't qualify. Our last chance of assistance is CPP disability and the application process is about four months. The application has gone in and we expect to hear something back in April 2018.
So I'm currently trying to support the both of us and our IVF savings is slowly dwindling. I'm going in the wrong direction. My wife's next biopsy is January 11th 2018, and it's expected to be clear. It will break my heart if I can't get the money together to do IVF in time. She has gone through seven very difficult months to get through this.
This fall, Nikki worked hard fundraising (pub night and 50/50s), but we still have a bit to go. The cost of IVF is $10,000 without meds.
Please help me keep hope in my wife's heart. She is the sweetest person; who so deserves to be a mom. This year has been so terribly unfair. I hope 2018 brings us the family we have been waiting so patiently for.
I understand that things are tight for a lot of folks, so even if you can just share our story, it would mean the world to me. Thank you! 
Organizer and beneficiary
Doug McArthur
Organizer
Kamloops, BC
Nikki McArthur
Beneficiary
