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Nicholas’ Story:
Please help Nicholas Baronaitis in his fight against cancer.
We would like to begin by telling you about our son Nicholas.
Nicholas is our wonderful 24 year old son. He has always wanted nothing more than to enjoy his career in the Canadian Armed Forces alongside his two older brothers who also serve in the Forces, graduate from University, get married and start a family of his own. He has always been a healthy and active person, always striving to better himself and help his friends and family. He and his fiancée are set to be married next year and are anxious to move forward with their lives together. If you knew our son, you would know that he is a kind, courageous, determined, and amazing person who puts others before himself. Whenever someone around him is sad or upset, Nicholas is always there to comfort and support them despite his own situation.
Synovial Sarcoma:
Nicholas has a very rare form of soft tissue sarcoma known as synovial sarcoma, it typically affects young active males. It is a very aggressive form of cancer that is difficult to treat as there is limited research that has been conducted into treatment. Unfortunately there are limited chemotherapy drugs available and none that show a very strong efficacy. The limited number of clinical trials available commonly utilizes a genetic testing component that patients may not display and are therefore not eligible to participate.
It is a very aggressive form of cancer that is difficult to treat. To date, there has been limited research conducted into treatment. The small number of clinical trials available commonly utilizes a genetic testing component that patients may not display and are then not eligible to participate. Chemotherapy drugs available for synovial sarcoma is limited and none show a very strong efficacy.
Timeline:
Summer of 2016, Nicholas began to feel pain in his hip and thinking that it was simply a bad muscle strain from too much exercise, he ignored it for a short while in an attempt to let it heal. When the pain persisted, he went to his doctor and the pain was thought to be from a small cyst. The appropriate diagnosis was missed and he went another year waiting for a specialist and surgeon willing to deal with this seemingly low priority case.
December 2017, our world was turned upside down when he was diagnosed with Stage 4 Synovial Sarcoma that had metastasized to his lungs. Nicholas felt everything he had ever worked for was falling apart around him. His career in the military as an Artillery Officer was no longer possible due to the necessity for a partial hip replacement and resection of muscle tissue to remove the primary tumour site. His university courses were put on hold while he underwent extremely taxing chemotherapy and radiation therapy.
17 rounds of chemotherapy, 6 weeks of radiation therapy, and a successful - yet extensive hip surgery and physiotherapy brings us to today... May 2019.
Our son is still determined and ready to keep fighting. During the course of his treatment he managed to finish his last year of university with straight A’s and is graduating in June. He recovered from surgery and with physiotherapy he has far exceeded what his surgeons thought would be possible. Throughout this he has also been continuing to serve in the Canadian Armed Forces in whatever capacity he can while he continues his fight against cancer.
However, the first line chemotherapy drugs have stopped working and Nicholas is seeing growth in some of his lung metastases. His next option are clinical trials, some are available here in Canada and covered by his insurance, but others are only offered in the United States and are very expensive. Initial assessments from cancer centres in the United States like MD Anderson and Sloan Kettering cost thousands of dollars, plus the additional cost of potential treatments and other medical expenses.
We are fundraising and asking for help to cover the costs of these out of country treatments. Nicholas is a courageous, strong, determined, and incredible person and we believe that he will beat the odds and this cancer – he just needs your help and support! We cannot imagine a life without him and your donations will help give him the chance to fight this cancer and extend his time with his friends, fiancée, and family. Nicholas is a fighter and will fight until the end to beat this cancer.
The purpose of Nicholas’ GoFundMe is twofold-clinical trials and treatment in the United States but also Nicholas hopes to raise awareness for synovial sarcoma.
It is a rare cancer, and for some reason, seems to affect young, healthy, and active people – people who like our son and his physicians, might ignore its early symptoms (pain around joints) simply thinking it’s a strained muscle or the product of exercise. Synovial sarcoma is difficult to diagnose because it often does not typically cause any pain as it grows, and by the time it presents with pain it has typically already metastasized.
His hope is that no one should ever have to suffer through this cancer with the limited treatment options available and plans to donate all unused funds from this GoFundMe into research for the treatment of synovial sarcoma.
Please help Nicholas Baronaitis in his fight against cancer.
We would like to begin by telling you about our son Nicholas.
Nicholas is our wonderful 24 year old son. He has always wanted nothing more than to enjoy his career in the Canadian Armed Forces alongside his two older brothers who also serve in the Forces, graduate from University, get married and start a family of his own. He has always been a healthy and active person, always striving to better himself and help his friends and family. He and his fiancée are set to be married next year and are anxious to move forward with their lives together. If you knew our son, you would know that he is a kind, courageous, determined, and amazing person who puts others before himself. Whenever someone around him is sad or upset, Nicholas is always there to comfort and support them despite his own situation.
Synovial Sarcoma:
Nicholas has a very rare form of soft tissue sarcoma known as synovial sarcoma, it typically affects young active males. It is a very aggressive form of cancer that is difficult to treat as there is limited research that has been conducted into treatment. Unfortunately there are limited chemotherapy drugs available and none that show a very strong efficacy. The limited number of clinical trials available commonly utilizes a genetic testing component that patients may not display and are therefore not eligible to participate.
It is a very aggressive form of cancer that is difficult to treat. To date, there has been limited research conducted into treatment. The small number of clinical trials available commonly utilizes a genetic testing component that patients may not display and are then not eligible to participate. Chemotherapy drugs available for synovial sarcoma is limited and none show a very strong efficacy.
Timeline:
Summer of 2016, Nicholas began to feel pain in his hip and thinking that it was simply a bad muscle strain from too much exercise, he ignored it for a short while in an attempt to let it heal. When the pain persisted, he went to his doctor and the pain was thought to be from a small cyst. The appropriate diagnosis was missed and he went another year waiting for a specialist and surgeon willing to deal with this seemingly low priority case.
December 2017, our world was turned upside down when he was diagnosed with Stage 4 Synovial Sarcoma that had metastasized to his lungs. Nicholas felt everything he had ever worked for was falling apart around him. His career in the military as an Artillery Officer was no longer possible due to the necessity for a partial hip replacement and resection of muscle tissue to remove the primary tumour site. His university courses were put on hold while he underwent extremely taxing chemotherapy and radiation therapy.
17 rounds of chemotherapy, 6 weeks of radiation therapy, and a successful - yet extensive hip surgery and physiotherapy brings us to today... May 2019.
Our son is still determined and ready to keep fighting. During the course of his treatment he managed to finish his last year of university with straight A’s and is graduating in June. He recovered from surgery and with physiotherapy he has far exceeded what his surgeons thought would be possible. Throughout this he has also been continuing to serve in the Canadian Armed Forces in whatever capacity he can while he continues his fight against cancer.
However, the first line chemotherapy drugs have stopped working and Nicholas is seeing growth in some of his lung metastases. His next option are clinical trials, some are available here in Canada and covered by his insurance, but others are only offered in the United States and are very expensive. Initial assessments from cancer centres in the United States like MD Anderson and Sloan Kettering cost thousands of dollars, plus the additional cost of potential treatments and other medical expenses.
We are fundraising and asking for help to cover the costs of these out of country treatments. Nicholas is a courageous, strong, determined, and incredible person and we believe that he will beat the odds and this cancer – he just needs your help and support! We cannot imagine a life without him and your donations will help give him the chance to fight this cancer and extend his time with his friends, fiancée, and family. Nicholas is a fighter and will fight until the end to beat this cancer.
The purpose of Nicholas’ GoFundMe is twofold-clinical trials and treatment in the United States but also Nicholas hopes to raise awareness for synovial sarcoma.
It is a rare cancer, and for some reason, seems to affect young, healthy, and active people – people who like our son and his physicians, might ignore its early symptoms (pain around joints) simply thinking it’s a strained muscle or the product of exercise. Synovial sarcoma is difficult to diagnose because it often does not typically cause any pain as it grows, and by the time it presents with pain it has typically already metastasized.
His hope is that no one should ever have to suffer through this cancer with the limited treatment options available and plans to donate all unused funds from this GoFundMe into research for the treatment of synovial sarcoma.
Organizer and beneficiary
George Baronaitis
Organizer
Nicholas Baronaitis
Beneficiary