Stacy is 35 years old.
She is a daughter, a wife, and a mother of two beautiful little girls ages 3 and 1.
Stacy has be fighting cancer (Hodgkin`s Disease/Lymphoma) for 16 years.
Stacy needs your help so that she can continue accessing medical care that will hopefully keep the cancer at a manageable level so she will be able to enjoy another day, week, month, year, decade with her family and friends who think the absolute world of her.
Stacy was originally diagnosed with Stage IVB Hodgkin`s Disease in 1995 and underwent ABVD Chemotherapy for 8 months. She then finished high school and started to look towards the future. She enrolled in college and embraced life.
Stacy was originally diagnosed with Stage IVB Hodgkin`s Disease in 1995 and underwent ABVD Chemotherapy for 8 months. She then finished high school and started to look towards the future. She enrolled in college and embraced life.
In 1999, while still in college, Stacy had her first relapse and underwent more treatment. Salvage chemotherapy and high dose chemotherapy and then an autologues stem cell transplant. The transplant was very, very difficult on Stacy and her family. They faced the challenge head on and rolled with the punches praying that this would save her. Stacy recovered over time and once again embraced life. She found employment, settled into a new city and started a new chapter of her life. This chapter included a dapper gentleman who would become her husband.
Against all odds, Stacy and Brad had their first baby girl in 2007 followed by baby girl number 2 in late 2009. Most would have predicted that Stacy would never have children given the high doses of chemotherapy she received during her first two rounds with cancer. To say that those who love her were overjoyed by these two darling girls would be the understatement of the century!
After nearly 11 years without treatment another relapse was confirmed in January of 2010, just as Stacy and family were settling into life with their new addition. In April 2010, treatment included more chemotherapy (2 cycles of ABVD), some DHAP and ICE as well as BEAM chemotherapy followed by a second autologues stem cell transplant on September 16th, 2010. In addition, radiation treatment was given in December 2010. The year 2010 was extremely difficult on Stacy and her family. She valiantly took each and every treatment and did everything she could to be there as much as possible for her girls. We all hoped and prayed that finally her cancer would be eradicated and she could once again move on and enjoy life. That was not the outcome we received.
Devastatingly, only 6 months post stem cell transplant and 3 months post radiation, a third relapse was confirmed from a biopsy taken from a suspicious new lymph node. Stacy has now undergone all standard 1st, 2nd and 3rd line treatments for her disease and is now looking to trial treatment options with the hopes to manage this disease for as long as possible. At this point, there is no cure but there is hope of keeping her well enough to enjoy life with her husband, babies and all those who love her.
In order for this to happen, we need your help. Stacy and her family have never in 16 years asked for financial support as they fought this devastating disease. Unfortunately, Stacy now has to try some experimental options that carry a hefty price tag. There are enormous costs associated with new drugs and the administration of them. For all those who have watched while Stacy has fought to be with us on here on Earth, now is our time to act. We have all felt helpless as she took treatment after treatment but now there is something we can do. We can donate, we can ask our friends to donate, we can spread the word about this amazing woman who just wants to live and be with her family. All monies donated are being held in a special medical trust at TD Canada Trust that has been established for Stacy and is being administered by her mother.
Currently, Stacy is travelling out of country every three weeks for treatment. By doing this, she is able to obtain infusions of a drug (SGN-35) that is not currently available to her at home. This treatment comes with finacial burden because of travel, lodging and hospital costs not covered under provencial or private insurance. As well, once the drug is FDA approved in the United States, the drug itself becomes more than overwhelming in cost. SGN-35 is showing very positive results in many patients and Stacy`s hope is that she may use this drug for a very long time in order to manage her disease before having to move on to other options which will also come at a cost if not available to her at home.
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This disease, Hodgkin's Lymphoma has over an 80% cure rate with the first standard line of therapy...of that 20% will relapse...40% might find a cure with second line treatment (usually a Stem Cell Transplant)...unfortunately there are still a small percentage of people who have very stubborn disease (relapsed/refractory) that are not likely to be cured. These people may go onto 3rd line of therapy (for Stacy it was the second auto Stem Cell Transplant with radiation)...then after that it may be various chemotherapies and/or trial drugs in attempt to manage the disease.
