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Keep Karen Loving Life – Purchase the Palbociclib (Ibrance)...Please

  • We did it!!!

      9 September 2019
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    Kia Ora koutou,

    Ngaa mihi nui. Thank you again to everyone who has kindly and generously contributed to help me keep "Loving Life". I couldn't have achieved the impossible without you and are completely humbled by the response.

    I'm also pleased to say my personal plea to NIB to fund my final month of Ibrance has been approved! I had tears of joy when I received the news. Well done NIB for making a difference.

    This means, I have reached my goal and from October my drug will be fully funded by Pfizer. I'm very grateful and know I am one of the fortunate ones who has been able to access these life prolonging drugs.

    And there is even more fantastic news; from next April this drug will be fully funded by Pharmac. This means no-one else has to go through the trauma and humiliation that I, and so many others have had to endue. A massive thank you to Sue Wall-Cade, Terre Nicholson, Wiki & Malcolm Mulholland, Breast Cancer Aotearoa Coalition (BCAC) and all the Metavivors who told their stories.

    Clink on the link or copy the link to review the full article:

    https://www.breastcancer.org.nz/content/metavivors-and-bcac-overjoyed-funding-announcement?fbclid=IwAR2TfkIuRapUcsaJL554MJGy1ynVCjtyGllo8D2Yv5ciMy58n38dg8ZZoHQ

    We will continue to fight for better Healthcare for all kiwis.

    Please sign and share our petition below to reform Pharmac. Even if you are not located in NZ you can still sign this petition.

    Patient Voice Aotearoa is calling for Pharmac’s budget to be doubled – and for Pharmac reform – so that New Zealanders can enjoy access to more life changing, extending and saving medicines. If you know anyone affected by illness, and you care about Kiwis getting better healthcare, please sign our petition and like, share and comment on this post. Please watch our video below and sign our petition at https://bit.ly/2KXN2BH.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RyJzEjzFXtw&fbclid=IwAR3b40HeuQFS-XtFmovQvqxYCZVQxpofsvpfjtOjuVfk0AEfTmKFZARtZYA

    #WeArePatientVoiceAotearoa #LeaveNoOneBehind

    I will be requesting for this page to be closed now this goal has been reached.

    Ngaa mihi nui

    Karen xxx

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  • Personal "thank you" to all my donors.

      22 August 2019
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    Kia Ora koutou,

    Ngaa mihi nui. Thank you to everyone who has kindly and generously contributed to help me keep "Loving Life".

    Finding out that you have been diagnosed with a terminal illness was heart-breaking and devastating. Then to find out drugs that could prolong my life would cost me $66,000, seemed totally unobtainable and soul destroying.

    But because of amazing kind and generous people like you and self-funding, we have nearly achieved the totally impossible!

    There are so many people I need to personally thank and are indebted to; friends, whanau, my Purego Cycling Team and complete strangers, you have all contributed to making this happen and have given me access to life prolonging drugs.

    To all the amazing parents and staff at Richmond Road Primary School and Westmere School, arohanui from Tau and I for all your support and love, it has been tremendous.

    ONLY ONE more month of $5,850 to go! Then the drug is finally funded in full by Pfizer the drug company who manufacture Ibrance. We can do this!

    THE GREAT NEWS - while I have had some setbacks along the way and the journey has been harrowing at times, the best news is; "the drugs have done more than was expected"! My July CT scan when compared to the February CT scan, showed that all the tumors have decreased in size and some significantly. The one on my adrenal gland has disappeared completely! This is the best kind of news you can get as a terminal cancer patient.

    These drugs have made a huge difference to my prognosis and without them, I may not even be here today. I know I am incredibly blessed.

    I have immense sadness knowing so many women have gained their angel wings since I have been diagnosed. These women may still be alive had they had access to these cancer medications. Fly high "aku hoa ataahua", we will keep fighting for you.

    It is criminal that Pharmac are making kiwis resort to Give A Little as the only means to get life saving drugs and that drug companies like Pfizer are holding kiwis to ransom. Come on Pharmac get it together, prioritise kiwis lives and negotiate better outcomes with these drugs companies.

    So many people say to me, oh well you should have invested in health insurance. Well the fact is, I have had an NIB insurance policy for years. But what no-one at NIB bothers to highlight is the fact that most of their policies don't cover Medsafe (non-Pharmac approved) medication. So if you get a life threatening illness and need the latest medicine (which is available in most developed countries) you're on your own in NZ. Basically when it comes to funding of cancer drugs, my NIB's policy is not worth the paper the paper it is written on.

    The Patient Voice Aotearoa will keep fighting and petitioning Pharmac, the Health Select Committee and government for better access to drugs and healthcare for all kiwis.

    Join the Facebook group Patient Voice Aotearoa to support better healthcare for all kiwis.

    #WeArePatientVoiceAotearoa #OurLivesMatter

    Thank you again for everything you have done for me.

    Arohanui Karen xxx

    #LoveLife

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  • Personal "thank you" to all my donors.

      29 April 2019
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    Kia ora koutou,

    I would like to say a personal "thank you" to everyone who has kindly and generously contributed to help me keep "Loving Life". I feel very humbled and overwhelmed by all the support I have been given and feel incredibly blessed.

    An update on my treatment plan... The good news is that my cancer has stablised and there has been no progression which is hard to express in words but is bloody wonderful news!!! THANK YOU again to everyone who has helped enable me to fund the Palbociclib (Ibrance).

    So far, I have been able to purchase 6 packs of life prolonging drugs (Ibrance) at a whopping cost of $35,100!!!!

    I still need to fund a further 5 packs of the drugs at an impossible cost of $29,250.

    After that, the Ibrance will be FREE and funded in full by the drug company Pfizer.

    So PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE continue to support me in any way you can, by sharing my link with as many people as you can or by donating. Every donation no matter how big or small makes a huge difference in helping me reach this goal and fund these life prolonging drugs.

    My partner and I will be heading to Wellington on Tuesday 7th May to take part in the "Right to Live" march to present petitions to Parliament asking that drugs that either extend lives or improve the quality of our lives be funded by Pharmac.

    I find it extremely difficult to have to ask for help. It is incredibly cruel and degrading that so many New Zealanders are finding themselves in the same position having to beg or sell everything to fund life prolonging and lifesaving cancer drugs - it is just not right.

    When it comes to serious or life-threatening illness, we once believed that for rich or poor, the best care would be available for free. But now in New Zealand, there is now such a disparity between rich and the poor, that only the rich can afford these medicines. How have we ended up in a society where this is deemed to be acceptable or humane?

    We are supposed to live in a developed country, yet we are drastically falling well behind most other developed countries in providing up to date cancer drugs and treatments. It is time for Pharmac and Parliament to do their jobs and fund the drugs and treatments New Zealanders deserve.

    Please come and join hands and change lives with us next Tuesday on 7th May in Wellington. (for more details please see the attached image).

    Ngaa mihi nui a Karen

    xxx

    "LOVE LIFE"

    An additional '"thank you" to Wiki and Malcolm Mulholland and Terre Nicholson who are selflessly championing for change whilst having to live with their own terminal cancer diagnosis. You guys are heroes of the people of New Zealand and absolute legends in my eyes. It will be an honour and a privilege to stand with you on Tuesday.

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