Through It All She Offers Me Protection

Our amazing friend and neighbour, Kim Pointon, has recently been diagnosed with secondary breast cancer that is HER2-positive and has metastasised into her bone forming two tumours.

Please help us to support Kim to beat this and be here for many years to come!

Kim has already bravely fought through years of treatment. In June 2016, she was diagnosed with aggressive and invasive breast cancer that was HER2-, ER- and PR- positive, grade 3, stage 2A, and had traveled to her lymph nodes. Kim underwent multiple surgeries, including a lumpectomy, as well as treatment for 18 months, which involved 16 rounds of chemotherapy, 17 rounds of Herceptin and 21 doses of radiation, and ongoing drug treatments with hormone blockers.

There’s no doubt that she is one hell of a woman! Kim faces everything in her life with positivity and gusto. Her latest diagnosis is no exception and she ain’t going down without a fight! This relapse is just one more chapter in her incredible story. “Goonies never say die!” (from The Goonies, Kim’s favourite film).

These last few weeks have been really tough to say the least. There’s been multiple urgent appointments as the hospital’s treatment team rush to establish the best plan of attack. But Kim has had her four lovely kids – Hannah, Tori, Ben & Grace – and her husband of 20 years, Adam, by her side throughout.

Her treatment plan is now underway. First up is a CT scan to check for any other areas of concern, then a bone biopsy under general anaesthetic. After that Kim will have her portacarth replaced, which will help get the drugs into her system faster and more effectively, as the veins in her arms are no longer functional. Starting in November she will have an unknown number of chemotherapy rounds, alongside regular doses of the drugs Herceptin and Perjeta. The primary aim is to shrink the tumours’ growth as much as possible. She will also receive Zoledronic acid to help strengthen her bones.

Her treatment will evolve as necessary depending on how her system responds. It’s likely that she will also be put on the drug, Letrozole, to supress her ovary function until such time that she’s well enough for ovary removal surgery. Over time Kim may also benefit from treatment with Kadcyla, a drug not yet funded by Pharmac, that is around $10,000 per month.

Another aspect of the hard times ahead is the high risk of infection related to the particular chemo Kim will undergo. There will likely be many GP visits and medications required. None of these costs are funded by the public system.

Many of you have been asking how you can support Kim and her family. Donating what you can here is one way that you can help ease the stress for them. Another is to share this page as widely as you can via your networks on social media and by email.

Thank you for your generous support!