Help Aaron and Amie-Sue Conquer Cancer

See a Whitney family picture above; taken in happier times, at our Mum and Dad's 50th wedding anniversary a decade ago. 



Hello, friends and family of Aaron Whitney and Amie-Sue Parsons,

 

UPDATE MAR 3: Last Friday, Aaron's liver cancer  diagnosis was further diagnosed as a rare cancer of the Bile Ducts. Hard to detect, inoperable, and ultimately terminal. As you can imagine, this was/is devastating for all of us. The treatment plan will not include aggressive chemo as there is no point as the cancer has spread to other organs and lymphnodes, but it will include lighter chemo treatment with the intent of shrinking the 2 large tumors on his liver to make it more comfortable to sit and eat, as well as to maybe, hopefully slow down the advancement of the cancer to buy him some time; how much time, we don't know.  Aaron will be able to have some of the treatments in Sussex which is helpful as it means fewer trips to Saint John, especially with gas prices going up and up, not to mention the time spent by Amie-Sue driving and Aaron sitting uncomfortably in the car. We're at about 2/3 of our fundraising goal and a huge THANK YOU to everyone who has contributed to this as you know how much it will help them take off some financial pressure during this really challenging time. We are trying to individually thank everyone, but if we are a couple of days delayed, please excuse us, but it doesn't mean we don't appreciate it; we do. Rebecca,  Hannah, Jacob (for Aaron and Amie-Sue) 

ORIGINAL STORY FEB 19: Some of you may already know that Aaron was just diagnosed with liver cancer. This news would be hard to swallow for anyone at any time, but this comes just weeks after the death of our father, making it that much harder to hear. Currently Aaron and Amie-Sue are in the process of going to diagnostic appointments, mainly in Saint John, about an hour away. Doctors are still determining the source of and treatment for, the cancer. Aaron has two large growths on his liver and the last CT scan indicate that other organs may also be affected. Biopsies were taken on Fri Feb 18 to determine what kind of cancer it is as it may have started elsewhere. We'll  know more next week what stage the cancer is at, where it's spread to, and the treatment plan, but we know that at this point, it's bare minimum chemo, and maybe surgery, chemo and radiation; so a tough picture for the near future. 

 

The reason for this GoFundMe campaign is to help offset the incremental expenses that come with this diagnosis; things such as the costs of gas, hotels in Saint John (and maybe Halifax if specialized treatment is required there), meals, and accessories to ease his discomfort (eg bathing, walking aids).

 

Aaron has already been on a significantly reduced income (disability) for the last six months as he had been waiting for his arm & shoulder surgery and unable to work in the interim. Covid has kept delaying that surgery, and now further delayed to deal with the cancer diagnosis.  Amie-Sue had to leave her job  recently due to Aaron being unable to be alone due to weak spells, hallucinations, and fainting. So there is significant financial pressure on both of them.

We are asking for your help in supporting them through these challenging times through donations towards the above-mentioned increased expenses. Alleviating some of their day-to-day financial insecurity will allow Aaron and Amie-Sue to focus on getting cancer-free.

 

Any donation amount will be welcome and we recognize that not everyone will be able to donate $s so we've also provided some ideas below for other ways people might help if a financial donation is not feasible or if they would prefer to do something more personal.

 

Here's an idea of some of the costs we're trying to cover for them just for context:

 

   $15- Buy's Tim's or McD's breakfast on their way to an early appointment

   $25- Pays for lunch for them coming back from Saint John after treatment

   $40- Covers gas for a trip to Saint John for treatment

   $125- Subsidizes their rent increase happening shortly

   $150- Funds a night in a hotel before early appointments

   Other amts: Any amount; smaller or larger than above is also appreciated

 

You get the gist above; what the money would be spent on. You can see how quickly cancer-related expenses add up (and already has) with appointments, and he hasn't even started treatment yet, which could be multiple trips per week. 

 

Ideas other than financial donations to consider.

Giftcard & the Gift of Time ideas: (note: if anyone has Aeroplan points, you can redeem them on grocery & gas cards). 

FastFood: Tim's, McDs, Swiss Chalet

Grocery & Other: Sobeys, SuperStore, WalMart, Canadian Tire

Drug: Lawtons, Shoppers Drug Store

Gas: Irving, Esso, Petrocan

Crafts: Dollarama, Michael's (for craft-therapy for Amie-Sue)
HomeMadeFood: You'd have to ask Aaron and Amie-Sue what dishes they like; but we're thinking casseroles, spaghetti, mac&cheese.
Catsitting- Maybe if they have to be out for a day for treatment, Simba might need a visit. 
Bottle/Can Refunds- Return those beer bottles, wine bottles & cans and donate refund to this fund 

 

Logistics of donations: Rebecca Whitney is the administrator on this GoFundMe Campaign, be assured that all donations will go to Amie-Sue & Aaron.

 

We will update this page as we get more information on his diagnosis and treatment plan. 

A huge thank you in advance for any support, financial, emotional or other creative ways that we're sure people will find to help Aaron and Amie-Sure get through this current challenge. 

The Whitney siblings, Hannah, Rebecca, Jacob (Tran) for Aaron (Acey) .. (and Amie-Sue Parsons)