Cancer Treatment for Christina
Donation protected
Hey Everyone!
I know by now most people are informed on the situation that I am in regarding my health, but I will leave the full story here so you can understand the purpose for this Go Fund Me. As a newly married “cancer” person this time has been very difficult, and the burden has become too much for us to handle alone.
If you know anything about me you know that asking for financial help is one of the most difficult things, as I have always been fairly blessed to budget well and have enough to cover my needs at all points of my treatment so far.
On February 22nd, 2020, a few months after I finished my last college courses I was diagnosed with an extremely rare and aggressive leukemia called “Early T Cell Precursor Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia”. This leukemia requires serious treatment and the treatment has had debilitating side effects, causing me to be out of work since that day. I came home from work one Friday night, went to the ER the next morning, was diagnosed with cancer, started chemotherapy within a few days and have not worked since.
I moved home to Canada to prepare for and receive a matched donor Allogeneic Stem Cell Transplant up here in our public system, since receiving it in the United States wouldn’t have been an option due to insurance issues. This treatment was completely and totally necessary to the pursuit of a cure for my disease, and quite frankly was the only option we have for long term survival at the time. I spent all of 2020 in an out of the hospital trying to be cured of my leukemia. I have received total body irradiation, move chemo than I can count, and spent over 100 days in the hospital by myself during this time battling infections and symptoms of the treatments.
Unfortunately, this year on February 22nd again, we found out that even after such gruelling treatment, my leukemia has returned again and we will need to seek further treatment. This is devastating to me as I have worked so hard my whole life, and I am not ready to die at 26 after marrying the love of my life. On top of that, this second time battling cancer is much more complicated because the treatments are experimental and require the highest degree of medical knowledge surrounding leukemia, and this can only be found in a few centres in the world. While Canada is my home, it no longer has options that could possibly help me.
In order to pursue this further treatment I need to move to Houston, TX to meet with the leukemia team at MD Anderson, where they are leading in research for many types of cancer. They have a program and clinical trials that may be able to help my condition, or at the very least give me the most time possible on this earth with my new husband and family.
As you can imagine, there are certain costs that go along with this.
1) Travel Expenses (Flights, Food, Hotels)
2) Mandatory COVID testing on both sides of the border and PPE
3) Rent and moving Expenses once in Texas
4) Actual Cost of Consults and treatments
5) Food and basic necessities of life
In order to make this really troublesome time in my life easier (or even possible for that matter) I need help and it is urgently necessary. Within the next few weeks we are going to be uprooting and going to find the help I need.
I am grateful to you all for the support, no matter what happens. I always accept love prayers and kind words as well, and want everyone to know I love them more everyday. While I am trying to be strong and do what I need to do to survive, I am also trying to be thankful for the moments I have on earth still, and hopefully through this pursuit I can stick around for a longer time.
Sending love <3
I know by now most people are informed on the situation that I am in regarding my health, but I will leave the full story here so you can understand the purpose for this Go Fund Me. As a newly married “cancer” person this time has been very difficult, and the burden has become too much for us to handle alone.
If you know anything about me you know that asking for financial help is one of the most difficult things, as I have always been fairly blessed to budget well and have enough to cover my needs at all points of my treatment so far.
On February 22nd, 2020, a few months after I finished my last college courses I was diagnosed with an extremely rare and aggressive leukemia called “Early T Cell Precursor Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia”. This leukemia requires serious treatment and the treatment has had debilitating side effects, causing me to be out of work since that day. I came home from work one Friday night, went to the ER the next morning, was diagnosed with cancer, started chemotherapy within a few days and have not worked since.
I moved home to Canada to prepare for and receive a matched donor Allogeneic Stem Cell Transplant up here in our public system, since receiving it in the United States wouldn’t have been an option due to insurance issues. This treatment was completely and totally necessary to the pursuit of a cure for my disease, and quite frankly was the only option we have for long term survival at the time. I spent all of 2020 in an out of the hospital trying to be cured of my leukemia. I have received total body irradiation, move chemo than I can count, and spent over 100 days in the hospital by myself during this time battling infections and symptoms of the treatments.
Unfortunately, this year on February 22nd again, we found out that even after such gruelling treatment, my leukemia has returned again and we will need to seek further treatment. This is devastating to me as I have worked so hard my whole life, and I am not ready to die at 26 after marrying the love of my life. On top of that, this second time battling cancer is much more complicated because the treatments are experimental and require the highest degree of medical knowledge surrounding leukemia, and this can only be found in a few centres in the world. While Canada is my home, it no longer has options that could possibly help me.
In order to pursue this further treatment I need to move to Houston, TX to meet with the leukemia team at MD Anderson, where they are leading in research for many types of cancer. They have a program and clinical trials that may be able to help my condition, or at the very least give me the most time possible on this earth with my new husband and family.
As you can imagine, there are certain costs that go along with this.
1) Travel Expenses (Flights, Food, Hotels)
2) Mandatory COVID testing on both sides of the border and PPE
3) Rent and moving Expenses once in Texas
4) Actual Cost of Consults and treatments
5) Food and basic necessities of life
In order to make this really troublesome time in my life easier (or even possible for that matter) I need help and it is urgently necessary. Within the next few weeks we are going to be uprooting and going to find the help I need.
I am grateful to you all for the support, no matter what happens. I always accept love prayers and kind words as well, and want everyone to know I love them more everyday. While I am trying to be strong and do what I need to do to survive, I am also trying to be thankful for the moments I have on earth still, and hopefully through this pursuit I can stick around for a longer time.
Sending love <3
Organizer
Christina Paisley
Organizer
Nanoose Bay, BC