Help Sue Beat Cancer

My mom Sue does not like to ask for help, even when she really needs it. Those of you that know my mom, know that she spends countless hours supporting others and helping family and friends in need, while her own needs are often unmet. In fact she would be incredibly embarrassed if she knew we were creating this GoFundMe campaign for her treatments. It took me a while to swallow my pride as well, however more than anything I want her to be able to access the treatments needs which are not covered by OHIP. We have been advised by her naturopath Dr. Yaris at the Lakeside Clinic in Barrie that she will need to start this treatment plan right away and adhere to the treatments for a minimum of twelve months. Due to the high cost of the treatments she will require and on the advice of many friends, we decided to embark on this campaign to fund the expense of her treatments for the next twelve months.
 
In the event the amount raised exceeds the costs of her treatments, we will donate the balance to support other Cancer patients. We are incredibly grateful for the support and prayers of all our family and friends during these past few months, and will post regular updates on Mom’s progress over the coming year.

Mom has always been very active, eats an incredibly healthy diet and has a healthy lifestyle. As a result she has always been perceived as being much younger than 72. Since my dad’s sudden passing ten years ago, she has experienced a great deal of stress financially and has shouldered much of the burden of caring for my sister, niece and autistic nephew.

Mom suffers from arrhythmia and has had been in the hospital many times when her heart was out of rhythm. She has had several ablations and procedures to help regulate her heart rate. Her heart condition is a serious concern and most recently has limited the cancer treatments available to her.

In December last year she was in acute pain, and thought she was having a recurrence of her heart issues once again. She was taken by ambulance to the hospital in Barrie. After a multitude of tests including ultrasounds, ECG, MRI, blood work etc., they discovered that she had dilated cardiomyopathy of the left ventricle (an enlarged heart). This was a bit surprising due to her abnormally low blood pressure. Her considerable pain continued, primarily in her pelvis and this time her symptoms were not aligned with heart issues.

On December 23rd we thought we were in danger of losing her. She hadn’t eaten in days and was in excruciating pain, which caused her heart to go out of rhythm. After being in the hospital for an extended period, she was diagnosed with chronic pancreatitis on Dec. 24th. They continued to administer further tests and in doing so, discovered a cancerous tumour in her pancreas in mid-February. Due to her damaged heart they were unable to operate right away and weren’t sure if they would have to perform heart surgery first. Her cardiologist stated that it there was a strong likelihood that she would have a stroke during surgery and that her heart wasn’t strong enough to withstand the anesthesia.

Her oncologist stated that surgery was a necessity and she wouldn’t survive without removing the tumour from her pancreas. She consulted with several surgeons and after a great deal of prayer decided to go ahead with surgery. She had the surgery at St. Joseph’s hospital in Toronto on April 29th and it was successful. The surgeon took a considerable portion of her pancreas in order to remove the tumour and he also removed her spleen. She had a challenging recovery from the surgery as she couldn’t digest food properly and experienced a great deal of pain, especially when eating. She has lost a significant amount of weight and for those of you that know mom, she didn’t have any to lose in the first place.

Mom’s oncologist advised that her liver is at risk as pancreatic cancer often spreads to the liver, and they are monitoring her lungs as they discovered abnormal cells there as well. We need to urgently start treatments to prevent further spreading of the cancer from her pancreas and help her body defeat cancer.

Since her surgery, mom has consulted with a multitude of experts and we have done extensive research on the best approach to healing her from Cancer, in addition to regular appointments with her Oncologist. Her Oncologist recommended a course of Chemo although after the first round, her blood pressure was too low and her heart and immune system were too weak, rendering her unable to continue with Chemo.

Consequently we have explored other treatments to defeat the Cancer. The two primary treatments that she is pursuing are Intravenous Vitamin C Therapy and Mistletoe Therapy, which will both be administered under the supervision of Dr. Yaris in Barrie. To monitor the effectiveness of her treatments, Mom hopes to undertake regular screening and blood analysis so she can adjust her treatment plan as needed.

We also hope to send her to the Hippocrates Health Institute in Florida in September to undergo additional treatment following a cancer-focused treatment program that is unavailable in Canada; the cost of this program including flights and accommodation is approximately $9,000.

Intravenous Vitamin C is an effective and well-established cancer treatment, supported by numerous medical studies, albeit extremely costly. At large doses (achieved only intravenously), vitamin C can induce oxidative damage to cells, as it increases levels of hydrogen peroxide (a chemical that destroys cancer cells). Vitamin C therapy, which will be administered intravenously by mom’s naturopath twice weekly, is the most expensive treatment at approximately $200 per session and the largest component of our funding campaign.

Mistletoe preparation is found to enhance the body's anti-cancer immunity and thereby to inhibit tumour cell growth. It is given in an injectable form, three times a week by mom’s naturopath. Mistletoe therapy is a conventional Cancer therapy that is widely used in Europe and gaining increasing acceptance in North America.

Together with Vitamin C and Mistletoe treatments we are strengthening her immune system with a healthy diet and supplementation in order to restore her to full health. After studying the Gerson Diet, and conducting research into the most effective nutrition, mom has been following an organic plant-based diet, including, vegetable juices, focused on alkaline, low-sugar foods to support her body to fight cancer, which thrives in an acidic environment feeding on sugar.

In order to assist with detoxification, which carries the risk of overburdening the liver (a significant risk for a Pancreatic cancer patient), it has been recommended for mom to have lymphatic massage and coffee enemas (Gerson therapy).

Although this has been an incredibly stressful time, your love and support and most of all your prayers have been so uplifting. Mom’s faith in God has carried her through thus far and we value your continued prayers more than anything else. Even by sharing this page, you can make a difference in helping us to get her the treatments that she  needs to win this battle. Words cannot convey the depth and extent of our gratitude for your care and compassion. Thank you all so much!! xxxxxxooooo