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My name is Stan Meldrum and I live in West Kelowna BC.
I am hoping to get friends and relatives support in my upcoming medical issues.
I have been diagnosed with a very rare eye cancer and have to travel to Vancouver for treatment. The reason I have to travel is there are only two (2) doctors in all of Canada qualified to deal with such an issue, one in Vancouver the other in Toronto.
The treatment involves having surgery to install a radiation patch in the back of my eyeball just under the back membrane.
It will stay there for one week, thereafter, be surgically removed again, at which time I am told I can return home. I will have to stay in Vancouver during this time. I will return for tests to see how efficient the treatment was as there are no guarantees. I have been told that I will lose up to 80% of my sight and only a 20% chance I will ever recover it. The cancer in question is just slightly smaller than a quarter coin and 5mm thick and is weeping, it covers a large portion of my eye. It's described as Melanoma but not to be confused with the type of Melanoma on the skin.
I will have numerous amounts of visits and can only be estimated at 20 times for either treatments and/or check-ups and that only applies if the treatment works, if not, I have no idea what will happen.
I will be able to fly there for the initial operation but require other forms of transport to get home. I am told that while I have this radiation patch I have to stay away from children, pregnant woman, airports and border crossings as I will either harm them or set off alarms elsewhere.
After seeing all the results (as I insisted too) I requested that the eye be removed completely and used for science or burned whatever they wanted to do with it. I explained that there was no-way I could possibly afford all the costs involved in the visits, travel, hotels, food and all other costs associated as we are not even close to being financially stable, we are one of the families living pay-check to pay-check.
I explained that I had only one year ago been freed from a bankruptcy agreement after two and a half years and still where not even close to getting back on our feet.
The doctor explained to me that; even if that was my final decision she would have to be the one to do the surgery and I would still have to go to Vancouver for the procedure, then again for treatment and again to have a artificial eye made and then fitted and continue more visits for treatment. As she put it I would be no farther ahead at all. She also told me that this cancer was malignant and aggressive and if I decided to do nothing about it, within 3-4 months it would spread and most likely affect my liver first.
My problem is not the medical costs involved, they are covered through our healthcare plan and my wife Mary's care plan from work.
The problem is the amount of costs involved in travel, hotels and other costs involved within.
Any and all donations will be greatly appreciated by both my wife Mary and I and will avoid the possibility of us having to sell our house as we have no other means of paying for this.
I always thought that the day I had to declare bankruptcy was the worst day of my life, then this came along!
Please, this is an urgent situation and I cannot even begin to explain how urgent my quest is, without help it may never happen.
Even if help is in the way of helping with transportation, do not hesitate to offer, however, if that is the case, keep in mind it might be on short notice, it may be at a very inconvenient time , it could even be an emergency. So please be sure what you are getting yourself into, I on the other hand have no options, I have to be there on time and each visit to Vancouver could be one very long day, for example: 5am till 11pm before getting back home, but more likely it will be an overnight stay.
Donations are acceptable through Debit and/or Credit Card
Thank you in advance
Stan Meldrum
I am hoping to get friends and relatives support in my upcoming medical issues.
I have been diagnosed with a very rare eye cancer and have to travel to Vancouver for treatment. The reason I have to travel is there are only two (2) doctors in all of Canada qualified to deal with such an issue, one in Vancouver the other in Toronto.
The treatment involves having surgery to install a radiation patch in the back of my eyeball just under the back membrane.
It will stay there for one week, thereafter, be surgically removed again, at which time I am told I can return home. I will have to stay in Vancouver during this time. I will return for tests to see how efficient the treatment was as there are no guarantees. I have been told that I will lose up to 80% of my sight and only a 20% chance I will ever recover it. The cancer in question is just slightly smaller than a quarter coin and 5mm thick and is weeping, it covers a large portion of my eye. It's described as Melanoma but not to be confused with the type of Melanoma on the skin.
I will have numerous amounts of visits and can only be estimated at 20 times for either treatments and/or check-ups and that only applies if the treatment works, if not, I have no idea what will happen.
I will be able to fly there for the initial operation but require other forms of transport to get home. I am told that while I have this radiation patch I have to stay away from children, pregnant woman, airports and border crossings as I will either harm them or set off alarms elsewhere.
After seeing all the results (as I insisted too) I requested that the eye be removed completely and used for science or burned whatever they wanted to do with it. I explained that there was no-way I could possibly afford all the costs involved in the visits, travel, hotels, food and all other costs associated as we are not even close to being financially stable, we are one of the families living pay-check to pay-check.
I explained that I had only one year ago been freed from a bankruptcy agreement after two and a half years and still where not even close to getting back on our feet.
The doctor explained to me that; even if that was my final decision she would have to be the one to do the surgery and I would still have to go to Vancouver for the procedure, then again for treatment and again to have a artificial eye made and then fitted and continue more visits for treatment. As she put it I would be no farther ahead at all. She also told me that this cancer was malignant and aggressive and if I decided to do nothing about it, within 3-4 months it would spread and most likely affect my liver first.
My problem is not the medical costs involved, they are covered through our healthcare plan and my wife Mary's care plan from work.
The problem is the amount of costs involved in travel, hotels and other costs involved within.
Any and all donations will be greatly appreciated by both my wife Mary and I and will avoid the possibility of us having to sell our house as we have no other means of paying for this.
I always thought that the day I had to declare bankruptcy was the worst day of my life, then this came along!
Please, this is an urgent situation and I cannot even begin to explain how urgent my quest is, without help it may never happen.
Even if help is in the way of helping with transportation, do not hesitate to offer, however, if that is the case, keep in mind it might be on short notice, it may be at a very inconvenient time , it could even be an emergency. So please be sure what you are getting yourself into, I on the other hand have no options, I have to be there on time and each visit to Vancouver could be one very long day, for example: 5am till 11pm before getting back home, but more likely it will be an overnight stay.
Donations are acceptable through Debit and/or Credit Card
Thank you in advance
Stan Meldrum