Help Nicki Kick Cancer
Donation protected
For the last 18 months, Nicki has been fighting a private battle against cancer and although we have tried to avoid it the time has come to reach out, share Nicki's story, explain where we are and start to accept the many offers of help that have come in as her story has evolved.
After noticing a small bump on the top of her head in early 2019 and subsequently having it removed, Nicki was diagnosed with Melanoma a few months later in May. Following surgical removal of the surrounding tissue in June, there was evidence of spread to lymph tissue and a lymph node dissection was required in September 2019. Of the 53 lymph nodes removed, only 1 had evidence of cancer and we cautiously breathe a collective sigh of relief.
After what we had hoped was a precautionary treatment in November 2019 (a targeted immunotherapy drug called Nivolumab ) and a CT scan in February 2020, unfortunately the follow up biopsy revealed that the cancer had spread to Nicki's liver.
The next step was an alternative immunotherapy treatment. Nicki underwent the first of three rounds of Ipilimumal in conjunction with Nivolumab but due to an adverse reaction and the contraction of Hepatitis, it was unsafe to continue with the second and third rounds of this treatment. Another knock back for us all.
Nicki then started three rounds of chemotherapy, beginning in July 2020 but bad news came again as the most recent scans in October 2020, have shown progression of the liver metastases and new tumor growth on her spine.
The oncology team in Dublin has prescribed a new course of treatment for Nicki but the aim of this is only to slow down the progression of the cancer and not to try to reduce or remove the pre-existing tumours. There is no two ways about it, this news was devastating to us all.
However, we do have a ray of hope. Throughout all of this time and the great work of the team in Beaumont Hospital, we have reach out to experts across the world for alternative opinions and peace of mind that the course of action that was being followed was the best possible option. As a result of a contact we made with the Sheba Institute in Israel and a recent consultation, we were informed of a relatively new treatment, not widely available, that has proven very successful with patients with similar and more advanced diagnosis to Nicki. As one of the top hospitals in the world, they have agreed to take Nicki as a patient and we will travel there as soon as the paperwork arrives this week.
The treatment is expensive and we have and will continue to empty the tank on all of our personal finances to get her there and in to treatment, we sincerely thank those of our friends and family who have helped and have offered help up to now, it has touched us beyond what any description here will allow. We have financed the initial testing, treatments and hospital bills in Israel but if things go well, which we hope they will, our time there may extend well in to next year and things will get more difficult.
We have not started this fund without real consideration for what we are asking or without first having thrown everything we have personally at it. We have been encouraged by the numbers of people offering to help and we just could not continue to ignore those offers, so we have started this fund as a way to accept that help on behalf of Nicki.
I won't have to remind those who know her but Nicki really is the best daughter/ sister/ partner/ friend/ godmother and veterinary nurse you could imagine or wish for, we want her to stick around for as long as possible and we are doing everything we can to make that happen, we thank you so much for your help.
After noticing a small bump on the top of her head in early 2019 and subsequently having it removed, Nicki was diagnosed with Melanoma a few months later in May. Following surgical removal of the surrounding tissue in June, there was evidence of spread to lymph tissue and a lymph node dissection was required in September 2019. Of the 53 lymph nodes removed, only 1 had evidence of cancer and we cautiously breathe a collective sigh of relief.
After what we had hoped was a precautionary treatment in November 2019 (a targeted immunotherapy drug called Nivolumab ) and a CT scan in February 2020, unfortunately the follow up biopsy revealed that the cancer had spread to Nicki's liver.
The next step was an alternative immunotherapy treatment. Nicki underwent the first of three rounds of Ipilimumal in conjunction with Nivolumab but due to an adverse reaction and the contraction of Hepatitis, it was unsafe to continue with the second and third rounds of this treatment. Another knock back for us all.
Nicki then started three rounds of chemotherapy, beginning in July 2020 but bad news came again as the most recent scans in October 2020, have shown progression of the liver metastases and new tumor growth on her spine.
The oncology team in Dublin has prescribed a new course of treatment for Nicki but the aim of this is only to slow down the progression of the cancer and not to try to reduce or remove the pre-existing tumours. There is no two ways about it, this news was devastating to us all.
However, we do have a ray of hope. Throughout all of this time and the great work of the team in Beaumont Hospital, we have reach out to experts across the world for alternative opinions and peace of mind that the course of action that was being followed was the best possible option. As a result of a contact we made with the Sheba Institute in Israel and a recent consultation, we were informed of a relatively new treatment, not widely available, that has proven very successful with patients with similar and more advanced diagnosis to Nicki. As one of the top hospitals in the world, they have agreed to take Nicki as a patient and we will travel there as soon as the paperwork arrives this week.
The treatment is expensive and we have and will continue to empty the tank on all of our personal finances to get her there and in to treatment, we sincerely thank those of our friends and family who have helped and have offered help up to now, it has touched us beyond what any description here will allow. We have financed the initial testing, treatments and hospital bills in Israel but if things go well, which we hope they will, our time there may extend well in to next year and things will get more difficult.
We have not started this fund without real consideration for what we are asking or without first having thrown everything we have personally at it. We have been encouraged by the numbers of people offering to help and we just could not continue to ignore those offers, so we have started this fund as a way to accept that help on behalf of Nicki.
I won't have to remind those who know her but Nicki really is the best daughter/ sister/ partner/ friend/ godmother and veterinary nurse you could imagine or wish for, we want her to stick around for as long as possible and we are doing everything we can to make that happen, we thank you so much for your help.
Organizer and beneficiary
Shane Traynor
Organizer
Nicola Traynor
Beneficiary