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Help Yohance fight Chronic Myeloid Leukaemia
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£26,342 raised of £115K
305 donations
Our brother, Yohance Nicholas has been living with Chronic Myeloid Leukaemia (CML) for the last 9 years. He was diagnosed at the age of 23, fresh out of undergraduate studies. With the assistance of the doctors of the Haematology Ward of Trinidad & Tobago’s Port of Spain General Hospital, he has been able to manage the disease and to maintain a high quality of life. However, in June 2021, the disease started showing signs of progression and testing revealed that the disease had aggressively moved to the third and final phase, the blast crisis.
We urgently need your help to provide him with the medicine and treatment he needs to return to health.
We urgently need your help to provide him with the medicine and treatment he needs to return to health.
Yohance’s CML Story
As a result of the progression of the disease over the last six months, Yohance has been experiencing night sweats, fevers, repeated infections in a short space of time, excessively high white blood cell count, extremely low haemoglobin, poor healing, easily bruised skin, and more. The course of treatment has caused him to become severely immunocompromised and the simplest of infections causes him to crash and he has ended up in ICU, in the midst of the pandemic.
Due to the progression of the disease, Yohance has also developed autoimmune haemolytic anemia, which has further complicated his treatment. A mutational analysis of the disease has shown that he has the T315I mutation, which is highly resistant to all drugs except Ponatinib.
Due to the progression of the disease, Yohance has also developed autoimmune haemolytic anemia, which has further complicated his treatment. A mutational analysis of the disease has shown that he has the T315I mutation, which is highly resistant to all drugs except Ponatinib.
What is Yohance’s path to health?
The health care service in Trinidad and Tobago does not have the facilities nor medication to treat patients that have progressed to this stage of CML. Yohance was advised to seek treatment overseas. After consultations with doctors worldwide and given the presence of the T315I mutation, the consensus is that he requires Ponatinib to attempt to achieve remission of his condition, and then to proceed with a Bone Marrow Transplant.
Ponatinib is classified as a Black Box Medication in Europe, and has severe side effects. He must be monitored closely by a Heamato- Oncologist and a Cardiologist while taking this medication, as some of the side effects can be potentially fatal.
We have flown him to Colombia on December 22, 2021 to start treatment for his condition at Clinica Imbanaco in Cali Colombia. We expect that he will be receiving treatment there for the next 9-12 months, as he works with their team on his journey to health.
Ponatinib is classified as a Black Box Medication in Europe, and has severe side effects. He must be monitored closely by a Heamato- Oncologist and a Cardiologist while taking this medication, as some of the side effects can be potentially fatal.
We have flown him to Colombia on December 22, 2021 to start treatment for his condition at Clinica Imbanaco in Cali Colombia. We expect that he will be receiving treatment there for the next 9-12 months, as he works with their team on his journey to health.
Who is Yohance?
For those that don’t know Yohance, he is a wonderful, life-loving son, brother, uncle and friend. At 33 years old he is a young professional and early career academic. He is a Development Consultant that has done social and economic research across the Caribbean.
He attended Fatima College and was Head Boy, graduating in 2007. At present he is a PhD Candidate at the University of the West Indies, and his area of research is Financial Economics.
Yohance comes from a loving and supportive family, as the last of 4 children. He enjoys life, culture, travel and meeting new people. He has a lot of life left in him, and there is a lot that he still wants to do as he would like to continue contributing to the development of our Caribbean region.
He attended Fatima College and was Head Boy, graduating in 2007. At present he is a PhD Candidate at the University of the West Indies, and his area of research is Financial Economics.
Yohance comes from a loving and supportive family, as the last of 4 children. He enjoys life, culture, travel and meeting new people. He has a lot of life left in him, and there is a lot that he still wants to do as he would like to continue contributing to the development of our Caribbean region.
How can you help save him?
Whilst Yohance has the support of us, his family, to fund the start of his treatment, the cost of medication, ongoing tests, bone marrow transplant and post surgery recovery costs is beyond our capability. We are asking you to Join Yohance’s Journey by donating as he embarks upon this challenging phase of his life over the next 12 months.
We are raising a total of GBP 115,000 towards his medical expenses, to cover the costs to stabilise his condition over the next 3 months and for the subsequent bone marrow transplant and recovery.
We are raising a total of GBP 115,000 towards his medical expenses, to cover the costs to stabilise his condition over the next 3 months and for the subsequent bone marrow transplant and recovery.
Every little bit adds up and will assist on his journey to health.
How can I Join Yohance’s Journey?
If you’d like to “Join Yohance’s Journey” , follow us on social media to get updates on his challenges, triumphs, treatment and his return to health.