Fundraiser for Alexander Carr - Alex’s Story

Hi I’m Alex, I’m 20, and two months ago I was diagnosed with an aggressive brain tumour. After multiple surgeries, infections and shear determination I have started radiotherapy — but my family is racing to get me into immunotherapy and personalised vaccine treatment Overseas before it’s too late to matter.

Until this year, I was just getting on with my life like any 20-year-old —completing my trade apprenticeship, spending time with my family and mates. That all changed the day I was diagnosed. Since then, I’ve been through multiple neurosurgeries for an open biopsy then a bleed, followed by a third surgery to address an infection that left me missing a section of my skull, I’ve now started radiotherapy as part of my treatment here in Western Australia.

Standard treatment gives me a chance, but my family and I want more than a chance — we want the best shot available anywhere in the world. That means looking beyond Australia, at immunotherapy and personalised cancer vaccine treatment being pioneered Overseas, tailored to the specific profile of my tumour. These treatments aren’t covered by Medicare or private insurance, and the cost of accessing them — travel, accommodation, and treatment itself — is far beyond what our family can cover alone.

I’ve heard stories of other cancer patients who’ve had remarkable turnarounds on treatments like this — people given a hard prognosis who are now years down the track, living their lives. That’s what we’re fighting for.

This isn’t easy for me to ask. But I want to keep fighting, and I want every possible option on the table. If you’re able to support us — with a donation, or just by sharing this page — it would mean the world to me and my family.

Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for taking the time to read this — and for standing with me.

With hope and gratitude,

Alex

From his brother Lachlan and the Family

Hi everyone, My older brother Alex is 20 years old. Writing this is one of the hardest things I’ve ever done, but I’m doing it because Alex needs us, and because I know that if our situations were reversed, he’d move mountains for me.

In May 26, Alex was diagnosed with an aggressive brain tumour, and since then our family’s world has centred on his treatment and recovery. He’s been through several surgeries at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital in Perth, and has recently started radiotherapy.

Alex’s medical team is providing the standard course of care available here in Australia. As a family, we’re also looking at additional options overseas — immunotherapy and personalised cancer vaccine treatment being developed overseas, matched specifically to the molecular profile of his tumour. This kind of treatment is not available through the public system and is not covered by insurances

We have heard of other cancer patients who faced a similarly difficult diagnosis and experienced a significant recovery through a modern immunotherapy drug called Pembrolizumab. Stories like that are part of why we believe it’s worth pursuing every avenue available for Alex.

We’re aiming to raise $395,000 to assist in covering specialist treatments overseas for:

• Specialist consultations, molecular testing, and pathology review

• International renown surgeons for removal

• Personalised cancer vaccine programmes tailored to individual DNA

• Immunotherapy target treatments

• Travel, accommodation, and treatment-related expenses

Your support would help with pursuing the level of care overseas with the specialist teams and treatments like APR-246 PRIMA 1MET that target molecular change for treatment options, flights, translation and interpreter report, and a contingency buffer in case Alex’s treatment needs to extend beyond the initial timeframe.

Any amount helps, and so does sharing Alex’s story with your networks.

Every donation, every share, every message of support reaches Alex directly and reminds him that people are in his corner. If these funds are ultimately not required, we will look to donate to Brain Cancer Charities in Australia to support their research and vital work.

We are so grateful to each and every one of you for reading his story, and for helping us fight for more time with the person we love most.

With love and gratitude,

Lachlan and Family