Help me live to see my grandkids grow
Christine (Rubie) Davies is raising funds for chemotherapy and immunotherapy to help her live well beyond a few months.
Hillcrest, Auckland
I was diagnosed with Stage 4 (metastasised) breast cancer in May 2022. Recent testing has confirmed that my Triple Negative Breast Cancer (TNBC) that I fought in 2020 has returned and is now in the lymph nodes in my upper, right chest, in my lungs, and there is a tiny one in my liver. However, testing has shown that I would very likely benefit from immunotherapy (Keytruda). It could extend my life significantly. Without it, I have been given 4 months to live as of July 2022. However, although Keytruda is known to have positive benefits for those with TNBC, it is only publicly funded for melanoma - not breast cancer. Therefore, I need to have immunotherapy, along with chemotherapy, in the private sector at a cost of approximately $150,000. Several people have asked me to set up this page so that they can support me in this fight for my life. I would be very grateful for your help. Every little bit will go some way to helping prolong my life, and possibly even enabling a complete recovery.
Use of funds
The money will pay for my immunology and chemotherapy treatments that are not funded in the public sector.
Latest update
Still making great progress :) 15 April 2023
Hi Everyone
I hope you are all doing well.
I thought that I would give a final update on my journey. Currently, I am still cancer-free 😉🤩. I had a scan in December that was completely clear and another one in March that was also clear, so I am doing well. Of course, there is always a chance that the cancer could come back, but even my oncologist is hopeful that because I have had such a miraculous response to the immunology, that a return of the disease is much less likely.
Meanwhile, I am continuing with the immunology. Normally, I have it three-weekly but recently (because we were coming to the UK), I had a six-weekly dose. If that is just as effective, I may move to six-weekly because it is only half the cost.
Your generous donation helped me enormously when I was having to pay for the chemotherapy and immunology but they became free after 9 doses. Now, I am only on immunology and just have to pay to see my oncologist with each visit and admin costs (around $1500 each time) so that is a BIG change from $13,000 each time. I am so very grateful to each and every one of you who really helped me when I needed it most.
Currently, we are in the UK. I managed to contract Covid on the way 😷 and so have been locked away in my bedroom for a week 😁. But I seem to have got away with a very mild dose. We had our boosters shortly before we left and I have been able to access antivirals here. I think that helped - and I am fortunate to have avoided Covid as long as I did.
I have worked away this week while I have been locked in my bedroom and had food delivered and washing done 😂 so it hasn't been all bad.
Next week, I am in the Netherlands all week on a speaking tour. It is pretty jam packed. I have 9 engagements over 4 days so I hope I don't get too tired.
The week following that is Jeff's mum's 100th birthday. I am really looking forward to the party. I am sure it will be a fun day. We have other surprises in store for her as well. She is amazing; still in her own home, still climbing up and down the stairs in her home, sharp as a tack, still doing various household chores and still enjoying her clubs.
Take care everyone - and many thanks again
Christine xxx
Latest donations
Thanks so much, Lifeng. That is so very kind of you. I hope that you and your family have a wonderful holiday break.
Thank you so much for your kindness and generosity.
Thanks so much for your generosity - and, yes, much more useful than a random gift. By my age, I have enough stuff. Take care xx
Thank you so much, Patricia. So very kind of you to donate a second time xx
Thanks so much for your donation and kind thoughts.
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