Life saving cancer medication

Hello Everyone

You probably already seen the Go Fund Me page for my wife where we were trying to raise funds for the expensive treatment she needed to go on for her Stage 4 breast cancer. We have had to cease this treatment now due to Deb having a potentially life threatening side effect.

Since ceasing this treatment (and thanks to all who donated it was greatly appreciated) Deb’s cancer has progressed into her lungs and liver. She has had to start the last line of her treatment which is chemotherapy. We didn’t try chemo at the start as her cancer is hormone based and chemo has been shown not to be that effective and the side effects way out laid the treatment. We have found some different treatment that combines immunotherapy and chemo but in Australia it is only used on blood cancer, but in Germany and Mexico they have been using this treatment for breast cancer with good results.

What we would like to do is ask for help again from everyone and anyone to help us raise enough money to go to one of these centres and seek their treatment proposal but it does cost a lot of money. When converted to the Aussie dollar about $100,000.00.

Please try and help us, even if you have already donated previously we don’t expect anything but if you could share with as many people as you can so we can see if this treatment can help provide Deb with a quality life to spend with our grandchildren. This would be greatly appreciated by all of us.

Chris

Hi, my name is Debbie Franey-Aartsen. Just an overview of why I’m writing this, and maybe this can possibly help others that are in the same situation feel not so alone. I was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2021. I thought I was one of the lucky ones and thanked my lucky stars every day that it was a grade 2 hormonal tumour. I underwent a full mastectomy and didn’t require any further radiation or chemotherapy treatments.

In 2023 I found another lump in the same side and underwent a PET scan to find that it had metastasised into my spine. The devastation of this news was over whelming, and I felt my life was over. I’m only 61 with a lot of living to do yet. The crazy thing is I felt fine… I was fit and healthy, worked full-time in a job I loved, worked out in a gym, kept fit and was enjoying life.

With this news, things were stepped up by my wonderful team of specialists and I was put on a treatment to try to prevent and control the spread of the cancer. This worked for a short period of time, but unfortunately the cancer has worked its way around this treatment, and we are now having to source further alternatives.

I have a lot of support from my wonderful family, friends, medical professionals which has kept me going with a great positive outlook.

We tried to see if I could go on a clinical trial but unfortunately, I didn’t qualify. This new treatment isn’t on the PBS, and we are having to self-fund this cost now. This new treatment has proven to work well on my type of cancer and proven to give longevity. We are also looking to see what further options may have been developed overseas that aren’t available here yet in Australia.

Those that know me, know I am a very private person and don’t ask for help, but I am now to a point where I need to put it out there and swallow my pride.

We have tried and spent a lot of our financial resources trying to keep afloat but have now come to the point where we need to sell our much-loved property to try to fund any further treatments.

The new treatment alone is nearly $2000 per month, and we only can fund this ourselves currently for 3 months. If anyone can help in any way, we will be eternally grateful and humbled.

I am determined to beat this; it isn’t going to beat me!