[Mastrap]

(This post has been approved by the macnn Administration)

Forgive me for this, but I am after your money.

A friend of mine, Esther, is dying from colon cancer. She is 38 years old and will be leaving behind her husband and three year old daughter. The cancer is terminal, there is now no chance, short of a miracle, to save her life.

However, there is a treatment available to prolong her life and give her more time with her family. The drug is called Avastin, but it is not covered by either Ontario Health or Esther's insurance. The cost for this treatment is $30.000 in a private clinic.

We, her friends, are doing all we can to raise the money for her. A pdf that tells you more about Esther and her family can be downloaded here.

I realize that we all have tragedy in our lives and that none of you have ever met my friend. However, should you have the odd couple of bucks lying around that you could do without - well, it would make a difference in her life.

My paypal account is [email protected].

Thank you.

[freudling]

My heart goes out.

[davesimondotcom]

My heartstrings were tugged on, that's for sure. I'll talk to the wife to see if we can afford anything for Esther.

My heart goes out to her and her husband and especially their daughter.

I hope a miracle occurs.

[cjrivera]

Sorry to hear about your friend.

I imagine you have looked into it already, but have you or your family contacted the manufacturer (Genentech, Inc, in California) to see if there is any way to get assistance with this drug? Or talked to her doctor and have him/her talk with the drup rep who sells it? Sometimes they can look into it for her?

Good luck and my prayers go out to her....

[Railroader]

Originally Posted by cjrivera

Sorry to hear about your friend.

I imagine you have looked into it already, but have you or your family contacted the manufacturer (Genentech, Inc, in California) to see if there is any way to get assistance with this drug? Or talked to her doctor and have him/her talk with the drup rep who sells it? Sometimes they can look into it for her?

Good luck and my prayers go out to her....

Excellent advice!

[Salty]

I can only offer my prayers for your friend, but she has those.

[Cody Dawg]

What a beautiful little girl and her mommy looks just like Laura Dern.

I second the motion to have all of you (or you) collectively contact the manufacturer of the drug. Is there anyone she can go stay with here in the United States? Because she would automatically get that drug regardless of ability to pay. (Which is why I still think we are the greatest country in the world, politics aside.)

Good for you for trying to help.

If everyone here gave just $1 then we could put together some money to help that family.

I cannot imagine being in the same situation. It is terrible. The least that some of us who can afford it is to give a few dollars for Esther and her family.

Good luck, Mastrap.

[Cody Dawg]

I read this about Avastin:

What is bevacizumab?

Bevacizumab, whose brand name is Avastin™, is an investigational drug. It is a monoclonal antibody (a substance formed in a laboratory that can locate and bind to cancer cells wherever they are in the body) produced from genetically engineered cells. Bevacizumab is designed to specifically block the action of a protein called vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). Bevacizumab belongs to a family of drugs called antiangiogenic agents, or angiogenesis inhibitors. Angiogenesis inhibitors prevent the formation of new blood vessels that surround and "feed" cancer cells the oxygen and nutrients they need to grow. By depriving cancer cells of their blood supply, angiogenesis inhibitors may be able to reduce tumor cell growth and cause cancerous tumors to grow more slowly or to become smaller.

In a large "first-line" therapy trial (involving people who had not yet received treatment for their metastatic colorectal cancer), investigators saw longer survival and tumor control among those who received bevacizumab along with a standard chemotherapy called IFL (irinotecan, 5-FU, and leucovorin) than among those who received IFL without bevacizumab.

Two things:

1. As of about 6:00 AM EST I see that 140 people have looked at this thread. If each of us had given $1 that would be $140. Don't be cheap. If you have a Paypal account donate a buck or two - any amount helps - to help this family BECAUSE YOU CAN. It's less than the price of a fast food sandwich, a pack of cigarettes, or a soda, you know?

2. Mastrap, I found this information for you:

Although Genentech's products are covered by most government and private insurance, Genentech has established the Genentech® Access to Care Foundation for each of its marketed products. We are committed to patients having access to all of our drugs for approved indications. For eligible patients who are treated in the United States, Genentech will provide product to those who cannot afford to pay because we believe it is the right thing to do. In the past 15 years, Genentech has donated drugs with a total market value of $700 million to uninsured patients and those deemed uninsured due to payor denial as part of the Access to Care Foundation and the Genentech Endowment for Cystic Fibrosis.

All of Genentech's products are covered by the Genentech® Access to Care Foundation, except for Pulmozyme® (dornase alfa), which is covered by the Genentech Endowment for Cystic Fibrosis. For consideration of eligibility for resources from the Genentech® Access to Care Foundation, the patient must meet eligibility criteria including income restrictions. Please direct requests for applications forms and more specific information on eligibility to:

Genentech Access to Care Foundation
1 DNA Way, MS #13A
South San Francisco, CA 94080
(800) 530-3083
FAX: (650) 225-1366

PLEASE contact them. Yes, you're in Canada but I'll bet someone there can help you - or her - out. They are obviously a socially compassionate company and maybe they can help Esther. Call once, twice, three times - as many times as necessary - and send them the .pdf of Esther and her little girl.

Good luck, Mastrap.

[Yose]

That address is less than a 10 minute walk for me… It's truly a small world.

I'll see what I can do.

[Mastrap]

Thanks to all for the kind words.

Esther does not qualify for clinical trials and the drug is not available for free from the manufacturers in Canada. There is currently no practical way to treat her in the US, where the situation might be different. She is too weak to be moved, she hasn't got the money, it would remove her from the support her friends and family give her here and it would also negate the one benefit Avastin might have for her, giving her more time with her daughter and husband.

So, please see what change can be spared. Railroader, you've just got a $100.000 pay-off, right? Surely 5 bucks wouldn't hurt. And Cody, maybe you could post the pdf somewhere at MS if you stil have that option. As you've said if all of the 140 people opening this thread would have given the price of a cup of coffee, well, it would have been helpful.

So again, thanks for the kind words - but it's money we need to make a difference.
Many thanks to the three readers who have already sent what you could afford. You have no idea how grateful we all are.

[d4nth3m4n]

just for the record: isn't $1 over paypal pretty much NOTHING to the recipient because the paypal fees are so much?

my heart goes out to yu and your friend mas, i have been personally touched by the ills of cancer and i wish the repercussions on nobody.

[Mastrap]

I've mailed paypal, asking if they would waive their fees on the account for four weeks . But yes, $3 is pretty much the lowest amount that makes sense.

[Cody Dawg]

I belong to a computerized embroidery organization (software for sewing machines - and I wrote some books about it) and I'll include her in my newsletter, Mastrap. I use the organization to raise money for animal rescue so I'll direct some attention towards Esther instead.

Everyone here should spare a few bucks...it's the least we can do on a beautiful sunny day.

[Madferret]

IF it's that desperate just buy a gun and go hold someplace up for her meds. That's what I'd do.

[chris v]

Originally Posted by FrankeniMac

IF it's that desperate just buy a gun and go hold someplace up for her meds. That's what I'd do.

Go for it, then transfer the proceeds to Mastrap's paypal account.

(bump)

[Mastrap]

A whole number of people I've never met have made a contribution to the fund. Many thanks to all of you. If you haven't and can afford it, please consider doing so.

Just to give you an idea, I am now at $495.93 US.

[Cody Dawg]

Good job, Mastrap!

Just to let anyone know, the feeling you get when you donate ANY amount is wonderful...

Even $1 or $2 helps! (And a little birdie told me that it's good Karma besides.)

[Spliffdaddy]

Esther is younger than myself. I know she has a lot more living she wants to experience. She is in my thoughts and prayers.

[Eug Wanker]

Sorry to hear about your friend, and I wish her and her family the best.

Just a note: Since she's so young, make sure her family has been investigated for familial colorectal cancer. If there is the least bit of history of colorectal cancer or other types of tumours in the family, then it may be prudent to consult a geneticist/genetic counsellor, or at least a physician with experience with hereditary cancer, if one hasn't already been consulted. Many family docs/surgeons/oncologists may forget to explore this.

Here is some information about HNPCC, one familial cancer syndrome causing colorectal cancer and other cancers (uterine, stomach, kidney, and brain cancers, as well as some benign skin tumours, etc.). This is a familial syndrome that is sometimes easy to miss if the family not specifically investigated. The information in that link is provided by the US company Myriad which charges for the genetic testing, but in Ontario the screening and testing is done locally and paid for by the Ministry of Health, if requested by a genetics clinic.

[Mastrap]

Thanks again to everybody helping. Whatever the amount, and some of you have been extraordinarily generous, it is very much appreciated.

[Cody Dawg]

It's also a good time to get screened yourselves. Everyone, man and woman, should get a baseline colonoscopy done at age 40 and at age 35 if there is some history of it in your family. I had it done and it's truly painless. You go into a room, they start an IV, and they check things out inside. They give you a sedative that makes you go into a very light sleep. I was in and out of there in only 25 minutes - literally. It was painless and I woke up feeling REALLY GOOD from the drugs -

Plus, once you get it done you're good to go for 10 years and it's a good feeling to know that you're done.

Colon cancer is almost 100% curable in the early stages which is when you start to get polyps on the intestinal walls. When you go for your colonoscopy they just snip them off and your cancer risk disappears completely.

Remember to eat a lot of fiber, vegetables, and grains in your diet and lower the amount of processed foods and meats and red meats in your diet. You'll cut your risk for gastrointestinal cancers considerably.

This poor woman obviously had a genetic predisposition for it, but younger and younger people are being diagnosed with it, especially women.

Link - 12 Young Women With Colorectal Cancer

[Eug Wanker]

Originally Posted by Cody Dawg

It's also a good time to get screened yourselves. Everyone, man and woman, should get a baseline colonoscopy done at age 40 and at age 35 if there is some history of it in your family. I had it done and it's truly painless. You go into a room, they start an IV, and they check things out inside. They give you a sedative that makes you go into a very light sleep. I was in and out of there in only 25 minutes - literally. It was painless and I woke up feeling REALLY GOOD from the drugs -

There is debate on this issue, but most recommend the baseline colonoscopy at age 50 actually (for people without a familial predisposition).

Also, there are other methods that are pretty effective and not as invasive. The methods include fecal occult blood testing, sigmoidoscopy, barium enema, and possibly virtual (radiographic) colonoscopy.

Remember to eat a lot of fiber, vegetables, and grains in your diet and lower the amount of processed foods and meats and red meats in your diet. You'll cut your risk for gastrointestinal cancers considerably.

While high fibre diets are generally good for you, the evidence supporting the claim that high fibre diets reduce colon cancer risk is not strong.

[Mastrap]

Many, many thanks to everybody who donated some cash over night.

[andreas_g4]

I cannot express my feelings. The world is a very, very dak place in the universe. It is fortunate that we just don't realise it every day…

[itistoday]

Mastrap, check your PMs.

[Cody Dawg]

Eug, that may be (what you stated) but I'm just repeating what my gastro physician told me. When you eat a lot of fiber you have more of a chance of sloughing off the debris (including microscopic polyps) from the intestine wall or colon. It makes sense to me.

Colon cancer is a major health problem. This disease is most common in Western cultures. Most colon cancer starts out as a colon polyp, a benign mushroom-shaped growth. In time it grows, and in some people it becomes cancerous. Colon cancer is usually always curable, if polyps are removed when found or if surgery is performed at an early stage. It is now known that people can inherit the risk of developing colon cancer, but diet may be important, too. There is a very low rate of colon cancer in residents of countries where grains are unprocessed and retain their fiber. The theory is that in the Western world, cancer-containing agents (carcinogens) remain in contact with the colon wall for a longer time and in higher concentrations. So, a large bulky stool may act to dilute these carcinogens by moving them through the bowel more quickly. Less carcinogenic exposure to the colon may mean fewer colon polyps and less cancer.

Link

I found it also interesting to note that the lowest incidences of colon cancer come from places or countries where their diet is very high in fiber - also noted in the same article.

At any rate, what's great is that Mastrap is getting some money together. He's almost up to $1000.

[MindFad]

Best of wishes to Esther, Mas. I hope this works out. I know how devastating this can be.

[andreas_g4]

Mastrap, I beg that you can raise the money. Wouldn't it be a nice gesture to show Esther the signatures of people who care for her? You can collect them (scans, photos) via email, put them in a PDF and print it for her. Maybe that's also encouraging for her, since it not that abstract as money is. You can always set up a freemail address for that purpose…

[Mastrap]

A lot of the people sending money are also attaching personal messages. All of these have been forwarded to Esther. They mean as much as the money, if not more.

[Mastrap]

I promise to not bump this thread anymore the second we reach $1000. Anybody?

[chris v]

This thread has gone a long way towards restoring my faith in teh luonge. It's good to see this group come together to this extent.

(I'm still good for some bumpage)

[TheoCryst]

Originally Posted by chris v

This thread has gone a long way towards restoring my faith in teh luonge. It's good to see this group come together to this extent.

(I'm still good for some bumpage)

Seconded.

[macintologist]

I think you should contact Steve Jobs and ask for some help

Seriously, write him at [email protected] and ask.

[itistoday]

Originally Posted by macintologist

I think you should contact Steve Jobs and ask for some help

Seriously, write him at [email protected] and ask.

If word got out that Steve was giving out thousands of dollars to cancer victims, thousands of people would bombard his email with requests for money, and many of them would be fake. I think people with Steve's status prefer to donate to well established, trustworthy charities.

[wallinbl]

My wife lost her mother to an aneurysm when she was eight years old. There have been times when it has been a significant struggle for her, but if there are any positives to come from the loss it is that she remembers only her love, wonder and amazement for her mother, the vision of perfection that only a child can see in someone. For her, her mother was perfect in every way - a feeling most of us no longer have. She is a better mother to our children because of her strong appreciation for the role of a mother in a child's life, and her constant desire to live up to her image of her mother.

Judging only from what can be seen from the links you provided, Esther's daughter is surrounded by good friends and family. While losing her mother will be tragic, the bond created by this event among those close to her will be tremendous. The love and support of those around us is a wonderful blessing.

[Mastrap]

When the last cheques will be cleared there'll be over $1000 I can give to Esther's family. Many thanks to everybody who has helped, for the money and the messages of support, for the prayers and the information gathered covering everything from alternative medicine to other drugs that might be helpful.

Thank you.

[Spliffdaddy]

bumpage


please toss some loot into the kitty if you haven't already done so

[daimoni]

Originally Posted by itistoday

If word got out that Steve was giving out thousands of dollars to cancer victims, thousands of people would bombard his email with requests for money, and many of them would be fake. I think people with Steve's status prefer to donate to well established, trustworthy charities.

Exactly. Homeboy already donates big time money. Same with Apple corporate. Just check the shiny plaques on the wall of Stanford Medical Center (between the children's wing and the oncology wing*).



* A place where we spent too much time... before she ran out of time.

[brassplayersrock²]

<deleted due to said posters idiotic response a couple of posts from now> BOT: i hope your friend gets what is needed to help her out mastrap. i gave some $.

Brass

[Severed Hand of Skywalker]

how long will this treatment extend her life?

[daimoni]

Originally Posted by Severed Hand of Skywalker

how long will this treatment extend her life?

This is not a video game where you measure and debate frames per second. This is real life and death here.

[Mastrap]

Originally Posted by Severed Hand of Skywalker

how long will this treatment extend her life?

We're hoping for about a year. Two would be fantastic. Three, we don't even dare dreaming about.
Daimoni is right. This isn't a game where you collect a power-up and get a set amount of points.

[besson3c]

What's with the power-up jazz? I think SWG's question is a worthwhile one...

[Severed Hand of Skywalker]

Originally Posted by daimoni

This is not a video game where you measure and debate frames per second. This is real life and death here.

What kind of stupid answer was that.

If someone is asking for $30,000 to extend someone's life I think it is a perfectly legitimate question.

[Mastrap]

Give it a rest already.

It is difficult to predict how long any additional treatment will prolong her life. It might be a week, it might help her body beat the cancer for years.
And nobody is asking anybody for $30,000. We're trying to raise that amount yes, but from many different sources.

What Dai got pissed about was your lack of understanding of the situation - probably because he himself understands it all too well. Somebody is dying. Even a week longer would be a gift.

[Eug Wanker]

I think it's a legitimate question, because there are many drugs (and alternative treatments) out there that have no proven survival benefit at all. Avastin is different though because it has been shown to have survival benefit.

On an individual basis, It's not predictable: It could be not much at all, or it could be up to years. However, I think the survival benefit is in the range of half a year or something on average, but don't quote me on that.

[daimoni]

Originally Posted by besson3c

What's with the power-up jazz? I think SWG's question is a worthwhile one...

The cliche of "Tell me, Doc. How long do I have to live?" plays better on daytime soap operas.

In Real Life there is no such thing as "if you do this (take this experimental drug), it will allow you to live for this long". Whereas in video game land, one can usually predict how long a Power Up will last.

It's a worthwhile question only if one believes in a magical Supreme Being - like the Tooth Fairy - that could possibly know... the Unknowable.

[daimoni]

Originally Posted by Eug Wanker

Avastin is different though because it has been shown to have survival benefit.

On an individual basis, It's not predictable: It could be not much at all, or it could be up to years. However, I think the survival benefit is in the range of half a year or something on average, but don't quote me on that.

I won't quote you on that. Avastin didn't do **** for my wife. Not to say it wouldn't or couldn't help someone else. Every case is different.

[Eug Wanker]

Originally Posted by daimoni

The cliche of "Tell me, Doc. How long do I have to live?" plays better on daytime soap operas.

In Real Life there is no such thing as "if you do this (take this experimental drug), it will allow you to live for this long". Whereas in video game land, one can usually predict how long a Power Up will last.

It's a worthwhile question only if one believes in a magical Supreme Being - like the Tooth Fairy - that could possibly know... the Unknowable.

There are many studies for each drug that look at precisely this question. While you cannot give a firm answer to a patient, it's still important information for a patient and his/her family to have realistic expectations of a treatment regimen.

I understand where you're coming from, but it's still important for some people to have this information.

[daimoni]

Originally Posted by Severed Hand of Skywalker

What kind of stupid answer was that.

If someone is asking for $30,000 to extend someone's life I think it is a perfectly legitimate question.

The amount of money at stake does not make your question any more legitimate... or less ignorant.