URGENT CAR T Cell Therapy needed to save my Life

BECAUSE OF PRICE NEGOTIATION - I'M STUCK trying to fund Out-of-Country, Out-of-Pocket for the treatment

 

IMPORTANT - READ the Updates section to see all NEW relevant information.

Hello, my name is David Wood, and I have Mantle Cell Lymphoma.

I am trying to raise funds to undergo CAR T Cell Therapy.

Health Canada has approved the procedure in Canada, but none of the provincial governments cover the cost.

 

The funds I raise will go towards the CAR T Cell Therapy cost.

Additional unused funds will be donated to Princess Margaret Cancer Centre and the Canadian Cancer Society.

Some people seem to think I'm a strong guy...
But I am Broken.....
I have to watch my wife cry herself to sleep a lot lately.
I watch my wife cry while I drive her to work.
It is breaking me and making me fractured.
I try to stay positive and help my wife to cope with my medical situation.
I want to protect my wife and ensure she gets everything she needs or wants in life.
Yet, hearing her words, "I don't know what I'm going to do without you," is killing me...
 
I love my wife more than anything in the whole world,
 
So I will ask that you please take a moment and tell the people you love that you DO love them...

About me:

I work for an IT company (E-Tech) that supports several Long-Term Care Homes, Retirement Homes, and Nursing Homes across the province of Ontario. I care deeply about taking care of the staff needs for every facility. There are multiple issues every day that need to be fixed, and I want things running as smoothly as possible because they don't need any added stress to how they are dealing with something every day; Especially with COVID-19 and the stresses involved with the Pandemic. I know most of the staff at each facility by their first name and that they appreciate the level of care that I provide to them. I am passionate about my work.

 

I was diagnosed with MCL in 2016 - Swollen Lymph node in my neck

I was treated with one of the harshest treatments, R-CHOP / R-DHAP and Total Body Irradiation.

2019 I developed a tumor that atrophied my right Kidney - it was radiated with local radiation and went away

2020 I developed a small tumor in my chest and that was Radiated.

2021 - Oct I had another tumor in my stomach that was radiated, and the cancer tumor has shrunk.

 

Dec 29, 2021 - I had a PET scan performed, and it appears my cancer has spread to a few more Lymph Nodes in my body.

 

Jan 10, 2022 - Follow up appointment with Dr. John Kuruvilla at Princess Margaret Cancer Centre

The meeting went like this:

 

Dr. Kuruvilla: David, I am going to recommend that you have CAR T Cell therapy.

 

Me: Yeah, where they take the white blood cells (T Cells) and reprogram them and put the new CAR T cells back into my body...

 

Dr. Kuruvilla: Putting COVID-19 aside for now... CAR T Cell Therapy has been approved for use in Canada by Health Canada. But unfortunately, the Ontario government does NOT cover the cost and neither to any of the other provinces or territories at the time being.

 

Me: so what does that mean?

 

Dr. Kuruvilla: The first part of the entire therapy has a cost of half a million dollars ($500,000.00).

 

Me: In Canadian dollars, or US?

 

Dr. Kuruvilla: In Canadian... Then, there is the second part of the procedure, which is the Hospital stay.

 

Me: Why would I need to be in the hospital?

 

Dr. Kuruvilla: When the CAR T cells, or the modified cells, are placed back into your body, they will begin attacking the cancer cells almost immediately. When this happens, it will be like your body was fighting any other infection and can cause severe fevers and other issues. Therefore, you will need a hospital bed and round-the-clock medical monitoring. You could get sick, and other issues could arise. Unfortunately, this being part of the CAR T Cell Therapy, the Ontario government does NOT cover the cost. However... My boss... Will cover the hospital stay portion of the procedure. Meaning that Princess Margaret will waive the fee associated with the stay.

 

Me: So how would I even pay for this? I don't have that kind of money?

 

Dr. Kuruvilla: There are several charitable organizations that do try and help provide funding for this type of stuff, and you can certainly try and start a gofundme. But, I will reach out to an organization that tries to cover the CAR T cell portion of the cost on compassionate grounds. They haven't told me "No" yet, but it might be hard with COVID having been going on so long.

...

Dr. Kuruvilla: Now, with COVID-19 happening now, we are facing, roughly, a 26-27% staff shortage here at Princess Margaret alone. Also, the Government of Ontario has asked us, the hospitals, to CUT BACK who we admit into the hospital. This is in addition to the cutbacks on Non-Emergency medical procedures that they have announced lately.

...

Dr. Kuruvilla: keep taking the Acalabruntinib pills at 2 x a day (Which ups my dose from 1 per day), and we will follow up with you in 1 month. We'll try to keep you going, David.

Some other important stuff:

 

Life is a precious gift, and nearly all of us take it for granted.

 

If you want to try to understand what we're going through... picture YOUR Wife or Husband or Partner and try to imagine if they had cancer and would eventually die from it... and then, try to picture yourself, if YOU had it and what worries you would have over all your loved ones??

 

Take 5 minutes (yeah, a whole 5 LONG minutes) to contemplate It, please. Then tell your friends and family that you love them.

 

Please take the time to tell the people you care about in your life that you love them.
Please only donate what you can. If not, please still tell your family and friends you love them.