Get Ged the treatment he needs
BRAF inhibitor treatment costs about $3.6k per week. Keytruda (pembrolizumab) immuno therapy costs about $9k per shot.
Nelson / Tasman
New Page is located here:
https://givealittle.co.nz/cause/getgedthetreatmentheneeds2/#
Ged is a good-sort and deserves a chance to fight this sudden and invasive disease - Melanoma stage 4, but it looks like we need some financial help...
The Doc says it's too advanced for chemo, the two options available to us are expensive.
BRAF inhibitor treatment costs $3680 per week (with some free weeks, but averages ~$2.5k per week. A new immuno therapy Keytruda (pembrolizumab) costs about $9k per shot.
The BRAF treatment for a few months is likely to buy several extra months, hopefully enough time for Dads own immune system to continue the shrinking of the tumours.
The new immuno treatment was featured in the NZ Listener magazine on 2nd of July 2015 (and Sunday TV1 program 8th November 2015) and has fully reversed the same type of advanced melanoma cancer in other people. There are drug trials where some of the initial shots are paid for by the trial. There is hope that this treatment will be funded by pharmac soon, but without action we may not have this much time.
Brian Stephens' involvement (page creator)
I don't want a lack of money/treatment to prevent my Dad from living.
Latest update
At Peace 21 December 2015
It is with much sadness that we have to say that Ged has lost his battle with this aggressive disease. He passed away gently early this morning with Sheila his wife, and Robert his little brother in the hospital room.
The last week was hard - getting the meds right so that he was pain free and comfortable wasn't pleasant - but Ged was surrounded with love and peace, and the opportunity to say goodbye, and thanks was healing for us all - and there was a steady stream of well wishers.
We will never know if Keytruda will have helped Ged with his advanced and aggressive cancer because he was never well enough to try it, but the awareness created by his tragic story should be used to push for more public funded drugs, and more (publicly funded?) cancer treatment research. Until you are touched by this devastating disease, I do not think you appreciate how common it is for so many families.
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