I am setting up this GoFundMe for a very dear friend of mine, Paul Lawson, and his wonderful wife Lelia Lawson. I've known Paul for 15 years and he is extremely humble and kind; a genuinely great person that everyone can count on. This story is about him and his fight against Brain Cancer. His story is a long one, but I’ll do my best to keep it as short as I can.

Paul had a tumour removed from his brain in the fall of 2019, followed by radiation and chemotherapy treatment.

Tragically, Paul’s wife Lelia was diagnosed with breast cancer within a week after his brain surgery. They underwent cancer treatment together, surgeries, chemotherapy, and radiation. Covid also added to the complication of dealing with their cancer treatment. Lelia is now living well, and for all intents and purposes... cured.

However, a recent MRI, one of approximately 15 in the last 6 years sadly revealed that Paul’s tumour has returned and he is only 48 years old.

A new lifesaving drug, specifically targeted to his type of cancer is now available, Vorasidenib (Voranigo™, https://www.voranigo.com/). This drug has been shown to stabilize tumours like his indefinitely, and regression has even been recorded.

Unfortunately, the cost is not covered by Health Canada, or the province of Alberta unless you have never received prior conventional cancer treatment. How sad that having to go through this a second time is disqualifying him from coverage. Canadian insurance companies refuse to cover it. The pharmaceutical company, Servier, will cover half the cost, but that still leaves $13,000 per-month-for-life coming out of their pockets. The fight is on for people like Paul to quickly get fully covered access to this drug, before going bankrupt.

Cruelly, the drug is covered by insurance companies in the U.S. There, Servier provides compassionate relief of the full price for those without coverage. Unfortunately, they have decided not to do the same for Canadians.

Paul and Lelia are professionals that have dedicated a large part of their lives to work in the energy sector and in sustainable development.

Paul deserves a chance at living a long life with his wife and has a lot more to give to this world. Please help me help Paul and Lelia.

I’m creating this GoFundMe in hopes of easing the tremendous financial burden Paul and Lelia have on their shoulders, so they can focus their energy on Paul’s health and have the best possible quality of life that they can, despite the horrible circumstances.

All funds will be directly deposited to their account. The funds will be used to help pay for Paul’s cancer treatment cost of $13,000 per month. This will give them the ability to focus on what matters most, Paul’s health.

Please help any way you can. Any contribution will be greatly appreciated. If you are unable to contribute at this time but would like to help, please spread the word as far and as wide as you can. Any words of encouragement for them to keep up the fight against cancer are also deeply appreciated. Thank you all.

I am also planning some other fundraiser events and will post details once they are confirmed.

I will also post updates on his treatment progress as it becomes available.