Help Us Keep Fighting: Avastin for Dan

In 2017, my husband was diagnosed with stage 3 bowel cancer, at just 36 yrs old. After radiotherapy, he went into remission & we thought it was over. But in 2020, the cancer returned and had spread to his liver. It was now stage 4. He underwent major surgery to remove the tumours from his liver and colon. But 6 weeks later, his scan revealed 15 new tumours. We were told it was no longer curable.

For over four years, Dan has undergone more than 100 rounds of fortnightly chemo & immunotherapy, which has either shrunk or stabilized the tumours. But his last MRI showed that his current treatment plan, including Cetuximab (immunotherapy previously unfunded until Nov 2024), may no longer be effective, as one of the tumours has increased in size.

His oncologist advised that he will need to move to Avastin, possibly very soon.

However Avastin is still unfunded in New Zealand & the drug cost alone is $25–30,000.

We are so grateful for the support we’ve received from family, friends, and the community over the years & know times are tough. Please share this page to help us reach as many people as possible.

Anyone who knows Dan knows the kind of incredible man, husband and father he is - courageous, eternally optimistic, compassionate and never one to do as he is told. He is determined to prove his doctors wrong, now more than ever, and show that he can beat this. He has been fighting for the last 4 years under circumstances that would crush the strongest of people and he will not give up.