Help Jan Dam in his fight against cancer

Help Jan Dam in his fight against cancer

English version below.

Vores gode kollega og min gode ven, Jan Dam, kæmper i disse måneder en ulige kamp. Jan fik i januar 2021 konstateret kræft i nyrebækkenet. En yderst sjælden kræftform, hvor der i Danmark er omkring 100 tilfælde blandt mænd og kvinder om året, hvoraf ca. 3/4 af tilfældene er hos mænd.. Kræft i nyrebækkenet er en kræftform, som kommer snigende og som man i dens tidlige stadie ikke mærker noget til . Derfor opdager man ofte denne form for kræft meget sent.. Jans første symptomer, var at han havde blod i urinen. Persongruppen som bliver ramt af denne form for kræft er mænd over 65 år og oftere rygere eller tidligere rygere. Jan er i dag 55 år og har aldrig røget......!

Jan søgte straks læge efter han havde konstateret blod i urinen, hvorefter han blev sat i kræftpakke forløb. På daværende tidspunkt var Jans kræft fremskredet til stadie 4. Jan har gennem de sidste fire måneder gennemgået en meget meget hård kemobehandling og daglige kampe, hvor formålet har været at bremse og formindske kræften, således Jan kunne gennemgå en operation. I april var Jan færdig med sin første serie af kemobehandlingen, som skulle følges op ad en scanning, som skulle afgøre om Jan skulle fortsætte i kemobehandling eller blot have livsforlængende medicin. Svaret på scanningen var positivt. Lægerne var tilfredse med effekten af kemobehandlingen og hvordan Jan responderede på kemobehandlingen

Derfor fortsatte Jan sin kemobehandling fortsat mhp en operation i sensommeren. Torsdag den 24. juni fik Jan svar på sin nu 2. scanning. Svaret var desværre nedslående. Kemobehandlingen havde ikke haft den ønskede effekt på kræften. Kræften var metastaseret til flere lymfeknuder. Lægerne kunne på baggrund af den manglende effekt af kemobehandlingen ikke indstille Jan til operation. I stedet foreslog lægerne, at Jan skulle starte i immunterapi, hvilket Jan startede på den 29. juni. Vi håber alle, at det har den ønskede effekt for Jan, men prognoserne er dystre - 80% af de patienter, som gennemgår immunterapi med Jans form for kræft er her ikke, når der er gået 6-12 måneder. Dette er prognosen fra lægerne - der blev talt i måneder ikke år!! Vi håber alle af hele vores hjerte, at behandlingen vil have den ønskede effekt for Jan og også for hans hustru, Pia og deres to børn.

Men vi, Jans venner og kollegaer, kan ikke blot sidde og vente og håbe på, at det går godt for Jan. Derfor har vi startet denne fundraising til fordel for Jan. Intet beløb er for stort eller for småt. Alt vil blive taget imod med kyshånd og taknemmelighed fra Jan og Pia og os, hans kollegaer og venner

Skulle immunterapien ikke have den ønskede effekt og Jan er i gruppen på de 80% skal denne fundraising gå til, at der kigges mod udlandet for at afsøge mulighederne for godkendte videnskabelige behandlinger og/eller godkendte videnskabelig eksperimentel behandling.

Skulle det værste ske, så vil det indsamlede beløb blive doneret til Jans hustru, Pia.

Jeg har kendt Jan gennem de sidste små 20 år. Og enhver der kender Jan, ved at han er fighter og en "stand up guy". Han er en ven og kollega, der altid har din ryg. Derfor er Jan så meget mere end en kollega for mig - Jan er en god ven og vigtigst af alt - et godt menneske, som i den grad fortjener, at vi gør alt for at hjælpe ham og hans familie.

Håber at så mange kolleger og venner af Jan og Pia vil støtte op om tiltaget.

International contributors, please notice:

Donations are in danish currency/kroner - amounts entered are therefore "kroner".

- 1 US dollar is approximately 6 danish kroner - 1 Euro is approximately 7,5 kroner.

As such, if for instance "100" is entered, this amount equals about 16 Dollars, or 13 Euro.

Our good colleague, and my good friend Jan Dam, fights an uneven struggle during these months. Jan was diagnosed with renal pelvis cancer in January 2021. Cancer in the renal pelvis is very rare, and in Denmark only about 100 cases are diagnosed annually, about 3/4 of those amongst men. Cancer in the renal pelvis is of the "sneaky kind", the kind which goes completely unnoticed in the early stages. As such, the cancer is often only diagnosed in the late stages. Jan`s first symptom was hematuria (blood in urine). Statistics demonstrate, that people in general, with cancer in the renal pelvis, are from about 65 years of age and up, and most of them are smokers. Jan is 55, and never smoked in his life.

Jan consulted his doctor immediately, following the hematuria, and was shortly after diagnosed with stage 4 renal pelvis cancer. Over the last, 4 months, Jan went through 6 very tough series of chemo therapy with daily struggles and battles, the purpose of the chemo therapy to slow down, and hopefully shrink the tumor burden, so surgery would be a possibility. In april, Jan completed the first, 3 series of chemo therapy, and a PET-CT scan was done to assess wether Jan should have another 3 series of chemo therapy still in the hope, surgery could be performed, or if the doctors should change track and put Jan on "life prolonging treatment". The answer to the scan was positive, The cancer was status quo and did not spread any further, and Jan was put on another 3 series of chemo therapy with the hope, surgery could be performed during late summer. Thursday the 24. of june, after completion of the 6.th. chemo therapy series, Jan had the answer of his second PET-CT scan. The answer was a great disappointment. The last, 3 series of chemo therapy had not worked in terms of halting the cancer, which metastasized to another 2 lymph nodes. Based on the lack of effectiveness of the chemo therapy, the doctors could no longer perform the surgery on Jan. Instead, the doctors started Jan out with immunotherapy, Jan received the first series the 29.th. of june. We all hope and pray, immunotherapy will work on Jan`s cancer, but the prognosis are less than favorable. Immunotherapy only works in about 20 % of the cases, as far as renal pelvis cancer is concerned, and for the more than 80% where the therapy has no effect, life expectancy is months and not years. This is the prognosis from the oncologists, months - not years!!

We all hope, with all our heart, the immunotherapy will have a positive effect on Jan, but also for his wife Pia, and their 2 children.

Meanwhile, we - that is - Jan`s friends and colleagues can not simply sit and wait. and hope everything turns out well. Therefore we have started this fundraising for Jan. No amount is to small, or to big - every contribution will be received with the utmost gratitude from Jan, Pia and the rest of us, his colleagues and friends.

In case, the immunotherapy does not work, and Jan belongs to the 80% group, the amount raised by this fundraising goes towards scientifically proved and endorsed treatments abroad, or scientifically recommended trial treatments abroad.

Should the worst happen, and Jan does not survive his cancer, the total amount from this fundraising will be donated to his wife, Pia.

I have known Jan for the last, 20 years. Everybody who knows Jan, also knows he is a fighter, and a "Stand up kinda guy". He is a friend and colleague, who always has your back. Therefore, Jan is so much more than only a colleague to me, he is a good friend and most importantly, a good, human being whom more than one can imagine, deserves our help in doing whatever is possible, for him and his family.

I sincerely hope, as many colleagues, friends and acquaintances as possible will support this fundraising.