Travel Expenses Become Financial Barriers to Cancer Treatment
I first learned I had Chordoma in 1996. Within three days I had radical surgery to remove my coccyx, followed up with 28 doses of Photon Radiation. I remained cancer free until 1999 when another Chordoma tumor was found in my right (semi) pelvis. I was referred to MD Anderson and surgery was scheduled for three months later. When I returned for that surgery the doctors noticed that the tumor had not grown so we went into a monitoring mode.
All remained stable until 2015 when it was determined that the tumor had grown and had become much more aggressive. The 28 doses of Proton Beam Radiation that began in October 2015 kept the tumor stable for only 2.5 years. In November 2018 I was accepted into an immunotherapy clinical trial at MD Anderson. From November 2018 to January 2019 I returned to Houston once every week and twice every other week. Those trips were rapidly exhausting our savings and causing a great deal of stress. I am 69 years old and my wife and I live on our Social Security.
In January 2019 I was informed about the Lazarex Cancer Foundation. I applied for financial assistance and was fortunately accepted. The assistance makes my frequent trips to from our home in North Georgia to Houston, Texas possible. And it relieved us of the stress of figuring out how to afford to continue the treatments. I am happy to say that my January and March MRI’s have shown that my tumor has not grown!
I want to offer my most sincere gratitude to all of you at the Lazarex Cancer Foundation for what you do for me and other cancer patients. You have no idea how much your assistance means to my wife and me.
