Help Hilary buy time with Ibrance for Stage 4 breast cancer

Having metastatic breast cancer (Mets or Stage 4) means that cancer that evolved in the breast has spread to other parts of the body. Its favoured places are bones, lungs, liver and brain. (In my case it’s spread extensively through my bones and my liver.) There is no cure. It is terminal. Thankfully many women who get diagnosed with breast cancer often remain clear after treatment for years or for the rest of their lives and this makes it harder for people to understand that Mets is different. This site gives more detail about what it is like to live with Mets: https://www.fredhutch.org/en/news/center-news/2014/10/stage-4-metastatic-misunderstood-breast-cancer.html

People with Mets rely on oncology to stay alive. The drugs that are available work by containing the cancer and stopping its spread or slowing it right down. But they only work for a certain period of time. After that there is a gradual decline and people with this diagnosis can only expect a prognosis of two or three years. There is now a new drug that will double the ‘progression free period’ for those with hormone receptor positive metastatic breast cancer. (That’s me). It’s called Ibrance. Unfortunately in New Zealand this drug is unfunded.

Recently a petition was brought to Parliament asking for drugs like Ibrance to be funded by

Pharmac. See the link to the NZ Herald’s coverage here:

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12141330

Like the women profiled there I am hoping for as much time as possible with my family. I also love my job at the university and want to keep making a difference to students’ lives and working with my colleagues for as long as I can. I have established a new degree programme - the Bachelor of Global Studies. It’s the only one of its kind in New Zealand. The first undergraduate cohort completed their first year in 2018 and applications are very strong for 2019. I want to stay well to be able to continue to grow this programme, see the first students graduate, see the masters in Global Studies established, to continue to teach global citizenship and intercultural understanding to the next generation of Kiwis. There is still so much to do....

I am doing all I can to maintain my life. I recognize the importance of diet and exercise in keeping my body as healthy as possible so it can fight the cancer. I eat a super healthy vegetarian diet, I paddleboard, do Pilates and bike to work and for pleasure: I am arguably fitter than I have been for many years. Still, the time I have left is very dependent on the drug I need.

Pfizer, the makers of Ibrance, offer a deal: patients pay $6000 a month for eleven months and after that the drug is supplied without further payment.

So I’m asking for your help. I have to find $66,000.

If you were able to contribute financially I would be forever grateful.

Thank you for reading to the end. Words cannot express my gratitude for any help you are able to give.