Nobody Should Die Because They Can't Afford Drugs

ABOUT KARI AND MATTHEW

Kari and Matthew Atkins live in Coquitlam, BC. They're a hardworking couple who have travelled the globe - pursuing careers, savouring life and making new friends. Matthew is one of the most in-demand drummers in Canada, with deep roots in the country music industry. Kari has had a successful career as a project manager and business analyst in health care (ironically, as it turns out). They are warm, intelligent, socially-aware people who should be enjoying life to the fullest and likely would be if not for the fact that Kari has been fighting metastatic breast cancer for the past three years.

KARI'S STORY

In 2016, Kari was diagnosed with Stage 3 breast cancer. By 2019, it was diagnosed as metastatic and had spread to her liver and bones. In 2020, tumours were discovered in Kari's brain, and she underwent surgery and radiation as an initial treatment. Radiation, however, isn't considered a safe, long-term line of treatment for brain tumours. In addition, the two recommended drug protocols for Kari's type of cancer - each of which Kari was given as long as they were effective treatments - cannot cross the blood/brain barrier and don't prevent the development of brain tumours.

In 2021, Kari's oncologist ordered a new treatment called HER2 Climb, which was recently approved in BC and is highly effective in preventing brain tumours. Kari has been on the treatment for several months now, with remarkable results. The bad news is that the core component of this new treatment - Herceptin - is not covered financially in this cancer treatment combo.

This leaves Kari - and many other BC cancer patients - in the unfathomable position of not being able to afford life-saving drugs. The Atkins' are currently paying $1,200 per month to sustain Kari's HER2 Climb treatment, and finding it financially and emotionally debilitating, adding to the challenges of the disease itself.

Matthew and Kari are the last people who would ever ask for financial assistance. The only help they have asked for is to have friends and family lobby our provincial politicians to help cut through the red tape and make this life-saving drug available to people who need it.

That said, Kari needs these drugs every month and most likely will for the rest of her life. Her family and friends want to help alleviate a crushing and ongoing financial burden through this fundraising campaign. We hope to bridge the gap until our elected officials see fit to approve funding for the drug that is keeping her alive, as well as help cover the associated medical supply costs and allow them to live a life worth fighting for.

Coverage of cancer drugs in BC is something we all expect. As Canadians, we take pride in our healthcare system, and it's unthinkable that our ability to survive an illness should be connected to the number in our bank account.

Please help if you can. Any size of donation would be received with gratitude. If you cannot, please take a minute to call, write, email, tweet or tag your MLA (Find your representative), Health Minister Adrian Dix, or Premier John Horgan. Ask for transitional funding for Herceptin (Trastuzumab) for patients enrolled in the HER2 Climb Treatment Protocol.

As friends of Kari, we thank everyone who took the time to read this. Below is Kari and Matt's recent CTV interview.

Kari & Matt's CTV Interview - June 2022