Help our son Mark beat cancer

Hi, my name is Gerry and I'm fundraising for our son Mark.

Mark was diagnosed with a form of oral cancer that is aggressive and difficult to treat. The treatment options are limited.

Mark is 49 and lives in Chestermere. He is a loving husband to Heidi, his wife of 24 years. Mark is a devoted father to 2yr old daughter Xaris, and his sons Josh, Joel, Sean, and Danny (ages 24-19) and has always been here for his brother, Timothy.

Mark is loved by all who know him, especially his family and friends who want nothing more than for him to continue to be in their lives. Mark has always had a strong faith and belief in God. We want him to remain here with his family, to see all his children reach adulthood and, in the future, to hold his grandchildren.

He went into a real rough patch in early Feb 2023. His health was in decline, losing weight rapidly and had next to no energy. On Feb 14, he was connected with an Oncologist at a private clinic in Calgary that offers alternative treatments. He was offered some hopeful options and was started on a treatment plan of Hyperthermia plus IV immunotherapy.

Since starting this Treatment, Mark has gotten his appetite back, has gained 10 pounds, is sleeping better and regained strength. Though this is a good start it was determined at the onset the Calgary clinic doesn’t have a powerful enough treatment for what Mark is dealing with.

The Oncologist referred him to a private clinic in Port Moody BC for an intensive treatment of NanoICG PDT (info below outlines this treatment). The Port Moody Oncologist has asked Mark to complete another three weeks here of Hyperthermia & IV (7 more treatments for $485 each). Then come to Port Moody for a week for his first round of NanoICG PDT treatment.

It is the only Clinic in Canada offering this particular form of treatment and it has shown promise. The cost is $14,970+ per round of treatment. This includes the NanoICG PDT treatments, along with IV and Hyperthermia treatments being performed at the same time. This intensive round of treatment (4 hours per day) is scheduled for the week of April 10.

Mark would then return home for 4 weeks where he would continue with the Hyperthermia and IV Treatments (9-10 treatments).

Mark would then return to Port Moody for a second round of treatment. At that time, it will be assessed where things are at and how many more treatments, if any, are needed.

We hope GoFundMe will help cover the costs for treatments in Alberta and the first two rounds of treatment in Port Moody. There are other ongoing costs like medications/supplements and travel etc. The goal of this GoFundMe is to target the biggest expenses.

All donations are very much appreciated as they would help Mark and his family focus on his treatment and healing without having to worry about the burden of these extra expenses.

We are asking all who read this, to please pray for Mark and his family.

Thank you and may God Bless you.

Gerry Snell and Family

Some info on NanoICG PDT

Depending on your diagnosis, you may be a candidate for treatment with photodynamic therapy (PDT). PDT is a non-toxic treatment that uses laser light to activate a light-sensitive compound in the presence of oxygen, which in turn causes tumor destruction by apoptosis (initiating cancer cell death), anti-vascular effects by tumor vessel destruction and the prevention of new tumor blood vessel formation, and stimulation of a T-cell tumor-specific immune response, thereby engaging the body’s immune system to launch an attack against cancer. The tumor-specific immune response is critical to address cancer stem cells to prevent distant metastases (spread of cancer) and to prevent future cancer recurrence.

Treatment begins when you receive the compound intravenously (through an IV). The compound, called a photosensitizer, is absorbed by cells in your body within 24-48 hours, concentrating in cancer cells. Tumors are then exposed to a light of a specific wavelength, delivered through very thin, flexible fiber-optic cables. The laser light penetrates the cancerous tissue and activates the photosensitizer. Because the photosensitizer is inside the cancerous cells only, those cells are targeted for destruction, with little impact on healthy cells.

PDT has three main effects:

• It kills cancer cells directly, by apoptosis and necrosis.

• It destroys blood vessels feeding the tumor(s) and prevents neo-vascularization, also known as anti-angiogenesis, thereby slowing and preventing further growth and spread of cancer.

• The action of PDT on cancer cells leads to the expression of certain proteins and chemokines (chemical messengers) that in turn recruit specific immune cells to the tumor to initiate the destruction of the tumor and can alert other immune cells to destroy cancer cells throughout the body.

• PDT is widely recognized as an effective treatment for localized cancers. Presently offered at select private treatment centers, PDT for cancer treatment is being actively studied in several clinical trials across the globe. In most cases, PDT is not intended as a stand-alone treatment for cancer. It is novel, evidence-based and clinically useful therapy integrated with a multi-modal treatment approach for cancer that may include intravenous vitamin C therapy, intravenous DCA, local-regional hyperthermia, chemotherapy or targeted therapies or immune checkpoint inhibitors, and other therapies. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) enhances the effects of PDT by driving oxygen to the areas to be treated, amplifying the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and oxidative stress generated by photo-activation of the photosensitizer. As such, our protocols involve pre-treatment with HBOT.