Team S T E V E 💕 - Support for Steve Coleman and family in his fight against Brain Cancer

On Oct 25th 2017 a trip to the ER found there was a Shadow Monster inhabiting Steve's brain after 2 days of a nasty headache resulting in a bit of confusion. Nov 2nd 2017, Steve's fabulous surgeon Kelvin Woon removed (with the help of an awesome drug called Gliolan which made the monster glow under infrared lights making it easier to differentiate tumor & brain tissue) what could be seen of a Glioblastoma Multiforme, GBM. A nasty monster that likes to fight back but Steve has fought harder.

Steve has since received the standard treatment of care around the world of surgery, 6 weeks of radiotherapy and daily chemo, followed by 6 more months of monthly chemo. There has been no change to standard treatment internationally in the last 20 years as no advances have been made. Regrowth usually occurs within 12 months and 12 months after Steve's diagnosis, re-growth was confirmed. A different chemo was tried for 3 months but the shadow monster has continued to grow.

Avastin is a drug used routinely in the USA, UK and Australia for treatment of this kind of cancer. Tumors need blood supply to grow and Avastin works by trying to stop blood supply to them. While it is approved for use in NZ, Avastin is not not funded by Pharmac and does not come cheap. Steve and Kim have made the decision to go ahead with this private treatment in the hope to extend and improve quality of life. The hope is to improve mobility and fatigue, and to reduce the need for steroids which have their own nasty side effects. Steve is able to receive an IV infusion of Avastin every 2 weeks and we hope to fund as many of these treatments for him and his family as possible.

Steve and Kim Coleman are special human beings who are exceptionally strong, kind and generous. They have always gone out of their way to help and support the people around them in any way they can, and have both done more for the likes of my husband and I than we can thank them for. Steve is there at the drop of a hat to help with any project (or a disaster) and it is a huge testament to his character that even recent trials have not stopped him in doing so, often at his own expense.

We know there are many others like us who want to help the Coleman's back in some way, so this page is hopefully another way for us all to do so.