Support for new mom Julie Mah’s battle with cancer

Dear family, friends and even strangers,

My name is Ambrose Lo, my wife is Jackie, we are based out of Toronto, Canada and we are sharing the story of our dear friends Julie Mah and Sam Seyfaddini whose lives were changed forever on Sep 1, 2020. Julie and Sam are high school sweethearts who have been together for 20 of their 35 years on this earth. They were living the happiest days of their lives with their beautiful baby girl Ella, who was just a few months old when oncologists discovered a large tumour in Julie’s liver. To their shock, Julie was diagnosed with stage 4 cholangiocarcinoma (bile duct cancer) and given less than a year to live.

Family and friends mourned together at the tragic news on Sep 1, but in Julie’s own words that day: “today we cry, but tomorrow we get up and fight”. Together, we are choosing to have hope, we are choosing to see the light in the darkness, we are choosing to fight this horrible disease.


In the absence of a cure from conventional medicine, and after much research, they have found alternative and experimental treatments that offer a bright window of hope for saving Julie’s young life. In addition to chemotherapy, Julie is currently undergoing some of these treatments which include locoregional hyperthermia, ozone therapy, high-dose intravenous Vitamin C therapy, and high-dose intravenous mistletoe therapy. Unfortunately, these treatments are expensive and are not covered by OHIP or any other health insurance providers. Their out-of-pocket costs are between $10,000 to $15,000 per month at the moment and Julie may need treatments in the USA that cost upwards of $300,000.

When we think of Julie and Sam, they are some of the most generous and hospitable people you will ever meet. They are the type of people who want to do everything themselves so as to not inconvenience others and add to others’ burdens. We have been blessed and are so thankful at the sheer amount of support from loved ones and even strangers in the last 4 months that have on every occasion left Julie and Sam speechless and in tears. Knowing Julie and Sam, it took a lot of courage for them to verbalize that they needed help. After much reflection, we decided to create this campaign on GoFundMe in hopes for further assistance with Julie and Sam’s financial needs.



Jackie and I have witnessed their battle first hand in the last 4 months. It truly has been a rollercoaster on their body, mind and soul. As the tumour has grown, they’ve had to find new ways to manage the worsening pain, discomfort and insomnia. Doubt and anxiety like to creep in on the bad days, but we remain joyful in hope, patient in affliction and faithful in prayer. Julie heads into each treatment knowing she’ll be walking out to manage the symptoms and side effects for days to come. Even though treatment often leaves her bedridden and sometimes too weak to even hold her baby girl, she willingly accepts each challenge with grace because she’s doing it for Ella and Sam. Faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. For Julie and Sam, every day is a leap of faith.



Those of you who have met Julie know that she is full of life. She is joyful and kind and a loving mother, wife, sister, daughter, friend, and school teacher. She dedicated the last decade of her life to her young students as an elementary school teacher. She has always been the one who has given help to those around her unconditionally.

Your help will give them peace of mind about the financial burdens of their battle and will allow them to focus on what matters most: their time together with their baby and winning their battle with cancer. Sam, Julie, Ella, our families, and everyone that loves them, will be forever grateful to you for your support and generosity.

All proceeds will be directly withdrawn by Sam who is the sole beneficiary on this campaign. We are setting the initial goal at $150,000 to cover their monthly out of pocket treatment costs. When treatment options and plans based in the U.S. are more concrete, we will share that update in the future and update the goal as we go.

From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for reading Julie & Sam’s story. 

Jackie & Ambrose