Help Eric fight brain cancer
Donation protected
What can we say... 2020 has been a year of so many ups and downs for Eric and I.
First there was covid, then we found out we were pregnant with our first child but then we never expected the news we received in October. In utter shock and devastation, Eric was diagnosed with Grade 4 brain tumours (Glioblastomas) in three areas in the left side of his brain.
To learn that Glioblastomas are one of the most aggressive cancers out there with limited treatment options that are not curable was the most devastating news we've ever dealt with in our lives. My heart broke and I felt like my world was crashing down around me. I was 8 months pregnant expecting our first child and being told that Eric may not survive past the baby's first birthday was absolutely devastating. The median survival being only 12 months made us angry and resentful at first. We were just about to become a family and we just couldn't believe this could be happening to us.
But today we're grateful and positive. We're grateful for every single day and every single moment we get to be together and we've decided that we're going to be strong and fight this battle as a family. We have hope that we can fight this and we will do whatever it takes to be a family for as long we can. We are now reaching out to everyone to help us achieve this, by helping us fund treatment that is only available overseas. Your contribution, no matter how big or small will go towards immunotherapy treatments for Eric in Germany with the hope that we can get more time together as a family.
Current Treatment
Eric is currently undergoing aggressive daily Chemo and Radiation therapy for six weeks with the goal of shrinking the tumours. We won't know how the treatment is going until a few weeks after the course of treatment. He has a MRI scan booked in for 1 Feb. Whilst chemo and radiation should normally make a good dent on the cancer, when it comes to the brain, it gets a lot more tricky. We all have what's called a Blood Brain Barrier (BBB) which protects the brain against circulating toxins or pathogens that could cause brain infections, while at the same time allowing vital nutrients to reach the brain. Whilst normally this is a really good thing, this could impact the effectiveness of his treatment. We are praying that he will be one of the patients where chemo will penetrate the BBB.
Hope in Immunotherapy
After this course of treatment, there aren't many other options for treatment in the current health system here. With this treatment only expected to add a few months to his survival, I couldn't sit back and accept this as an answer. Surely there is something else out there, a clinical trial, alternative therapies, anything that can make a difference!
After endless hours of research and connecting with anyone who had a foot in the onocolgy world, we came across Immunotherapy. It's a type of cancer treatment that helps your immune system fight cancer via different approaches such as personalised vaccines. There is a lot of research emerging in this space and it'll only be a matter of time before it becomes a mainstay in cancer treatment. However we can't afford to wait for immunotherapies to be approved in the current health system.
We were lucky enough to meet a friend of a friend's aunt who was was also diagnosed with a glioblastoma. She is a mum of four kids and similar to us, they didn't want to go down without a fight. They relocated to Germany for six months to receive immunotherapy treatments at a private clinic and she has been in remission for seven years!!
We are planning to do the same and relocate to Germany for a few months in mid February to get Eric started on treatment as soon as possible. Bub will be two months old but we're confident we can make it work. There's a lot to organise between now and then but we're confident we can get an exemption to travel, stay safe over there despite covid and find our feet with a newborn in the middle of winter!
We are hopeful and positive for a similar success story. We have to give it our best shot as I can't imagine life without him. We used to talk everyday about our future as a family, what we would teach our kids, the golden retriever we would have one day (and the poo I would refuse to clean up) and the best time for a younger sibling. I want to believe that we can talk about those things again one day in the near future.
The clinic in Germany confirmed that Eric is a good candidate for immunotherapy. He's more fit than ever before, he's young and there are some genetic characteristics about his tumours that should respond well to treatment. I guess his obsession with triathlons is finally paying off, even though I had always questioned his love for lycra! He completed two half Ironman races last year and was gunning for the full Ironman in May 2021. I hope one day we will see him finish that iron man race!
Eric's Diagnosis
Eric had complained about a sore neck and some headaches since July but we had thought they were connected to bad ergonomics and working from home due to covid. He had also mentioned that he wasn't feeling himself and I wish now that we had gone to the doctors earlier. If you are reading this, please make sure you always prioritise your health and don't put off that doctor's appointment you've been meaning to book.
Then on the October long weekend, whilst Eric was driving us home from the beach his left hand suddenly became numb. I had initially thought he was having a stroke but the numbness disappeared after a few minutes. Two days later we were at a restaurant with my family and Eric had some visual disturbances in his left eye. He thought the light was flickering and extra bright but the light was fine and this is when we knew something was off.
He went to the GP later that week and luckily he was comprehensive and asked Eric to get a MRI scan. On the same day as his scan, the GP tried to call him numerous times to tell him that they found abnormalities in the scan. He was in meetings all afternoon and missed his calls but finally reached us the morning after. He told us to go to the neurology unit at RPA ASAP and that's where it all moved really quickly. After getting a PET scan, the neurologist confirmed that he had multiple brain tumours and referred us to a neurosurgeon. Within three days he was undergoing brain surgery at St Vincent's and we've been taking one day at a time ever since.
Updates
I will try to add regular updates to this page as often as possible.
From the bottom of our hearts, thanks for reading this far and for considering donating. Anything will help and if not, please keep us in your prayers and send positive vibes our way.
xxx
Christina
First there was covid, then we found out we were pregnant with our first child but then we never expected the news we received in October. In utter shock and devastation, Eric was diagnosed with Grade 4 brain tumours (Glioblastomas) in three areas in the left side of his brain.
To learn that Glioblastomas are one of the most aggressive cancers out there with limited treatment options that are not curable was the most devastating news we've ever dealt with in our lives. My heart broke and I felt like my world was crashing down around me. I was 8 months pregnant expecting our first child and being told that Eric may not survive past the baby's first birthday was absolutely devastating. The median survival being only 12 months made us angry and resentful at first. We were just about to become a family and we just couldn't believe this could be happening to us.
But today we're grateful and positive. We're grateful for every single day and every single moment we get to be together and we've decided that we're going to be strong and fight this battle as a family. We have hope that we can fight this and we will do whatever it takes to be a family for as long we can. We are now reaching out to everyone to help us achieve this, by helping us fund treatment that is only available overseas. Your contribution, no matter how big or small will go towards immunotherapy treatments for Eric in Germany with the hope that we can get more time together as a family.
Current Treatment
Eric is currently undergoing aggressive daily Chemo and Radiation therapy for six weeks with the goal of shrinking the tumours. We won't know how the treatment is going until a few weeks after the course of treatment. He has a MRI scan booked in for 1 Feb. Whilst chemo and radiation should normally make a good dent on the cancer, when it comes to the brain, it gets a lot more tricky. We all have what's called a Blood Brain Barrier (BBB) which protects the brain against circulating toxins or pathogens that could cause brain infections, while at the same time allowing vital nutrients to reach the brain. Whilst normally this is a really good thing, this could impact the effectiveness of his treatment. We are praying that he will be one of the patients where chemo will penetrate the BBB.
Hope in Immunotherapy
After this course of treatment, there aren't many other options for treatment in the current health system here. With this treatment only expected to add a few months to his survival, I couldn't sit back and accept this as an answer. Surely there is something else out there, a clinical trial, alternative therapies, anything that can make a difference!
After endless hours of research and connecting with anyone who had a foot in the onocolgy world, we came across Immunotherapy. It's a type of cancer treatment that helps your immune system fight cancer via different approaches such as personalised vaccines. There is a lot of research emerging in this space and it'll only be a matter of time before it becomes a mainstay in cancer treatment. However we can't afford to wait for immunotherapies to be approved in the current health system.
We were lucky enough to meet a friend of a friend's aunt who was was also diagnosed with a glioblastoma. She is a mum of four kids and similar to us, they didn't want to go down without a fight. They relocated to Germany for six months to receive immunotherapy treatments at a private clinic and she has been in remission for seven years!!
We are planning to do the same and relocate to Germany for a few months in mid February to get Eric started on treatment as soon as possible. Bub will be two months old but we're confident we can make it work. There's a lot to organise between now and then but we're confident we can get an exemption to travel, stay safe over there despite covid and find our feet with a newborn in the middle of winter!
We are hopeful and positive for a similar success story. We have to give it our best shot as I can't imagine life without him. We used to talk everyday about our future as a family, what we would teach our kids, the golden retriever we would have one day (and the poo I would refuse to clean up) and the best time for a younger sibling. I want to believe that we can talk about those things again one day in the near future.
The clinic in Germany confirmed that Eric is a good candidate for immunotherapy. He's more fit than ever before, he's young and there are some genetic characteristics about his tumours that should respond well to treatment. I guess his obsession with triathlons is finally paying off, even though I had always questioned his love for lycra! He completed two half Ironman races last year and was gunning for the full Ironman in May 2021. I hope one day we will see him finish that iron man race!
Eric's Diagnosis
Eric had complained about a sore neck and some headaches since July but we had thought they were connected to bad ergonomics and working from home due to covid. He had also mentioned that he wasn't feeling himself and I wish now that we had gone to the doctors earlier. If you are reading this, please make sure you always prioritise your health and don't put off that doctor's appointment you've been meaning to book.
Then on the October long weekend, whilst Eric was driving us home from the beach his left hand suddenly became numb. I had initially thought he was having a stroke but the numbness disappeared after a few minutes. Two days later we were at a restaurant with my family and Eric had some visual disturbances in his left eye. He thought the light was flickering and extra bright but the light was fine and this is when we knew something was off.
He went to the GP later that week and luckily he was comprehensive and asked Eric to get a MRI scan. On the same day as his scan, the GP tried to call him numerous times to tell him that they found abnormalities in the scan. He was in meetings all afternoon and missed his calls but finally reached us the morning after. He told us to go to the neurology unit at RPA ASAP and that's where it all moved really quickly. After getting a PET scan, the neurologist confirmed that he had multiple brain tumours and referred us to a neurosurgeon. Within three days he was undergoing brain surgery at St Vincent's and we've been taking one day at a time ever since.
Updates
I will try to add regular updates to this page as often as possible.
From the bottom of our hearts, thanks for reading this far and for considering donating. Anything will help and if not, please keep us in your prayers and send positive vibes our way.
xxx
Christina
Organizer and beneficiary
Christina Lee
Organizer
Lilyfield NSW
Eric Chartrand
Beneficiary
