Caring For Carissa & Sophia

I would like to introduce you to a loving young family Collin, Carissa and little Sophia Cassano. Carissa has been fighting an aggressive cancer which has taken a tremendous toll both emotionally and financially. Here is their story.

Collin & Carissa were high school sweethearts, married in August 2008.

Like most young couples, they decided to raise a family and in 2020 they got the happy news that they were expecting a baby. In June 2021 their daughter Sophia was born. The couple were tremendously overjoyed with the new arrival and were looking forward to the parenting part of their lives.

Unfortunately, what should have been such a happy time for the young couple was very short lived.

Shortly after giving birth Carissa noticed a lump in her breast that was growing very quickly. It was diagnosed as an aggressive inflammatory breast cancer.

Carissa was determined to fight this terrible disease and shaved her head in defiance knowing that chemotherapy would result in hair loss.

Carissa began an extreme dose of chemotherapy in August 2021 which lasted until the end of December. During this time Collin was on paternity leave and now had to care for his infant daughter and his sick wife. Carissa was unable to breast feed her newborn and had to be extremely careful as the chemotherapy could leech from her body and affect her baby.

Carissa responded well, the large lump in her breast had disappeared and scans were positive. She had a double mastectomy in February 2022 followed by radiation and physiotherapy. It was looking like she was going to beat cancer.

Unfortunately, this aggressive disease continued its attack on her body. Carissa began having balance issues in May 2022 and a scan revealed the cancer had travelled to her brain. This involved neurosurgery, and brain radiation to try and remove and eradicate the tumors. Carissa was still determined to beat this disease.

After completing treatments, her scans came back clear in August 2022. The family was more than ready to put cancer behind them and focus fully on their daughter Sophia. Collin’s paternity leave had finished, the financial burden was starting to become unmanageable, and he needed to return to work.

However, 4 months later it would fall apart again. Carissa began losing feeling in her lower extremities and scans revealed that cancer had returned to multiple sites in her brain and spine. This news was delivered just a few days before Christmas.

Carissa immediately began whole brain and spine radiation, however her mobility steadily declined, and she was quickly wheelchair bound. Collin was now faced with caring full time for his partially paralyzed wife, his 18-month-old daughter, and was unable to work. He did not qualify for Employment Insurance and had no medical coverage. Family assisted as much as possible, but the pressure and strain were mounting.

After completing radiation, more chemotherapy and immunotherapy was the recommended course of treatment. This treatment was taking an immense toll on Carissa’s body, and she required stays in the hospital for blood transfusions and intravenous medications. In March 2023 Carissa had further scans which revealed that the cancer in her brain had grown and new tumors had developed on her liver. The Oncologist advised that the chemotherapy and immunotherapy were no longer effective and due to the toll they were taking on her body, the treatments were stopped.

Alternate therapies were discussed by her Oncologist. He recommended an oral chemotherapy drug treatment that targets her specific type of cancer. He felt this gives Carissa the best chance of success. The drug chosen was Olaparib (Lynparza). Unfortunately, this drug is not covered by Saskatchewan Health. The monthly cost for the dosage that she requires is $6,800.00. Carissa requires a minimum of 2 months before they can evaluate any results. This drug has the potential to be life extending if successful and would then need to be continued. We have made attempts to have this cost covered but have been unsuccessful to date.

With all the difficulties this young family has been facing over the past 2 years, it is the financial obstacle that has been especially challenging to overcome. Collin has had to routinely stop working, and can’t fully return to work as Carissa and Sophia are fully dependant on him. They have exhausted all sources of funds and Collin is the sole provider for the family. The rest of the family has done their best to help financially and in any other ways they can.

This Go Fund Me account was started to help ease the burden for this family. Any funds acquired here will go towards all the financial issues that have been accumulating, and will continue to accumulate, during this family’s difficult time.

Any amount given will be extremely helpful and appreciated.

We would also like to ask you to forward this information to other people you may know as even small donations in large numbers can help us reach our goal.

Thank you in advance for your assistance in these difficult times.

Collin, Carissa & Sophia.