Help Gwen Fight Breast Cancer

Just a few short months ago our mother was experiencing lower back pain.  Not really thinking much about it and thinking she twisted her back.  It increasingly got worse as the months went on.  Our mother is not someone to complain about anything and usually would never see a doctor for anything and was generally healthy.  She made several trips to the doctor and not one pain medication was easing the pain.  After the final trip the doctor, he decided to send her for a CT scan of her back because he suspected she had a herniated disc.  To our surprise, one hour after the CT scan the results were called in to our doctor and our world was turned upside down.  The radiologist said it was Cancer on the spine and other areas.  They suspected it was from the Breast.  An urgent Breast Mammogram was ordered and confirmed the diagnosis.  Our mother has been diagnosed with Stage 4 Metastatic Breast Cancer which means that the cancer has spread to her bones, specifically the spine and other areas.  Immediately she started 5 days of radiation to shrink the tumour on her spine otherwise she would be faced with paralyzation from the tumour pressing on her spine.  We’re hopeful that this has worked and that she can continue to live a somewhat normal life living with the bone Metastasis.  We are in complete and utter shock.  How could this happen?!  No family history of Breast Cancer.  The doctor said that it has probably been there for years.  Unfortunately, there is no cure but it is treatable with various treatment methods to help prevent the spread of the cancer further and to sustain her life. 

Now the journey of fighting this is ahead of her.  The first step of treatment is Hormone Therapy.  To our shock and dismay, unfortunately, this drug is not being covered by her insurance plan. 

Devastated by this, she is now urgently forced to find a way to get the drugs she needs to sustain her life.  However, being a retiree on a fixed income, how do you possibly find the money for this when the first treatment is $1200 per injection!  To start, she needs 3 injections in the first month and 1 injection every month thereafter.  That is $16,800 she will need to just start the first treatment for 1 year!  We don’t know if it will work and there may be other treatments that she will need in the future.  We have tried to obtain the drugs on a compassionate basis and they have denied her claim because of the same reason by the insurance company.  They want her to use a lower performing drug first before they will allow her to use this drug that is prescribed by her Doctor.  Nobody should ever be in a position that they can’t get the life sustaining drugs they need because they can’t afford it.  How do they expect a retiree on a fixed income to pay $1200/mth for 1 injection!  It’s disgraceful.  Nobody should have to bear the financial burden of trying to save your life.

Our mother has always been there to help other people in need.  She is the backbone of our family and has always been there to offer advice, assistance to anyone who needed it and a shoulder to cry on and would never ask for anything in return.  Now it’s our turn and we have an obligation as her family to assist her in obtaining the life sustaining drugs she needs so that she can continue to live her life and be able to watch her grandchildren grow up.  Everyone deserves a chance.

From the bottom of our hearts we are asking for the support of our family and friends in helping us raise funds to help support her fight against this awful disease.  All funds raised will be used for treatment costs, travelling expenses, if any, and any other costs associated with assisting her to fight this Cancer.  With deepest gratitude, thank you for anything you can contribute. 

Thank you! 

With love from the Halliday and Cornick family. 

Renee, Jamie, James, Steve, Jenna, Janelle and Gwen

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