Help Alicia Kick Osteosarcoma
My good friend, Alicia was diagnosed with Stage 4 osteoblastic osteosarcoma, a rare type of bone cancer, over 2 1/2 years ago. Her doctors have called her a "walking miracle" as her condition is unprecidented. She was given a terminal diagnosis in March 2016, but is still with us and fighting!
She has already been through numerous rounds of chemotherapy and radiation, a full hip replacement, spine surgery, and other sugeries to remove multiple tumors. With over 90 tumors (sternum, lungs, liver, spine, panceras, pelvis) in her body, her condition is severe. She is on chemo indefintely to contain the growth and spread of the tumors.
Unfortunately, osteosarcoma is not only rare in occurance, but also rare for her age group. Osteosarcoma largely occurs in children and adolscents and is rarely found in middle-aged women. She is not eligable for any of the grants, assitant programs, clinical trials, etc. because of this.
Most recently, she has consulted with Dr. Peter Anderson at the Cleveland Clinic who has designed a treatment plan using Radium-223 (Xofigo®). This new treatment is showing promising results.
Her new treatment includes an IV infusion of Gemcitabine and nine of Xgeva® injections to get her body ready for Radium-223 (Xofigo®). Her insurance has denied an additional required treatment (Pazopanib) which between all of her doctor appointments, copays, deductibles etc. it will cost her about $3000/month. She is currently appealing this denial.
Because Radium-223 (Xofigo®) can only be adminstered by a doctor of radiation oncology, she will have to travel back and forth between her new home in St. George, UT to Salt Lake City, UT. Her 24 Radium-223 (Xofigo®) treatments will take roughly 6 months. Her out-of-pocket expenses for this will be $3000/month.
Alicia has psychically been able to work for over a 2 1/2 years due to effects of chemo and many surgeries to her spine and hip. She has no income and relies on these donations to help her fight this battle. Alicia hopes through her new treatmet, she can help boost awareness for osteosarcoma and help others affected by it. We ask that you please give what you can so she can pave the way for Radium-223 (Xofigo®) reasearch for use on rare cancers.
