“HELP BUY US MORE QUALITY TIME WITH OUR DAD”

The Doctor’s diagnosis of ‘6 - 12 months’ left to live, isn't enough time to watch both his two sons, ages eleven and nine, grow into teens.

Hi my name is Kiritea Morehu. I'm thirty-three years and I'm in need of your help to keep myhubby Andrew Hercus (fourty one years) alive.

In February 2019, Andrew had a mole removed from behind his ear which

had been giving him grief. In March a biopsy and CT scan showed that Andrew was carrying the mutation B-RAF gene. Suddenly, we were no longer dealing with a little misbehaving mole, but with the diagnosis of stage 4 metastatic melanoma a terminal cancer, with a 6 - 12 months life expectancy.

He had surgery to remove the primary, 7 nodes and his left salivary gland;

leaving a 30cm scar line from the top of his left ear, around, down to his upper chest. This caused nerve damage making every swallow, even of his own saliva, like shards of glass moving down his throat. He also lost the use of his left arm. We were hoping this was temporary.

Unfortunately in April a PET scan showed that the surgery did not get all the cancer and it had spread into his spinal bone. An MRI and second CT scan also showed masses in his liver and lung causing

emphysema.

We did four months of immunotherapy treatment. Our hope was that by using

Pembrolizumab (Keytruda), an IV administered drug, Andrew’s internal cancer cells would be targeted from growing any bigger.

We expected the side effects: nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, thermal issues etc. But I didn’t realize that that meant there might not be any hot water left in our cylinder by dinner time from all the clean-up, or that he'd be so cold, I'd have to light the fire even if it was a hot day outside, or that I'd have to spoon feed him crushed electrolyte ice blocks, just to make sure he was hydrated.

In May, two weeks of daily Radiation was targeted at the primary site on his head to prevent the tumour from spitting out into new ones.

It is dis-heartening to say that all the funded ways to fight this cancer have failed.

We have now been given the opportunity to try a targeted treatment for the B-RAF gene. Its called Cotellic and Zelborah a combination drug which is taken orally and daily, indefinitely. This Medication fights the cancer every time he takes them. Its hoped to give him up to five years of a better quality of life.

Only probably is, it's a "self-funded" medication that costs $10,031.90 a month!

Andrew has always been a hardworking man who barely ever got sick. Physio and nerve medication have helped him to be able to swallow and use his left arm again, but he hasn't been able to work at

all this year due to the nasty nature of this disease. We have been living on my single income since his work pay ran out not long after his surgery. Both Andrew and I worked so hard to buy the house over our heads that we never travelled as a family and we were slowly building a holiday fund and thought we could go once the boys were teenagers.

Unfortunately, due to this year’s life changing circumstances our holiday funds have already been dwindled to pay for the first unfunded treatment. We had lots of plans, but now time and money are running out.

Imagine what it would feel like to know that there is a treatment out there that could give you more time with your loved one, but that you couldn’t afford it…

Please, would you consider giving a little to help alleviate the financial stress of ongoing medical treatment costs, our expenses due to the loss of income, and our desire to create a few lasting memories for our sons to remember their father.

I appreciate your time in reading this and hope you are able to help, any amount is highly appreciated.

A Hopeful Wife and children who still believe in miracles …