Friends hoping to collect donations for Coquitlam, B.C., couple paying out-of-pocket for cancer treatment
CTV
Friends of a Coquitlam, B.C., couple paying out-of-pocket for Stage 4 cancer treatment are rallying to help them through an online fundraiser.
Friends of a Coquitlam, B.C., couple paying out-of-pocket for Stage 4 cancer treatment are rallying to help them through an online fundraiser.
The move comes after months of pushing for help and answers from the province, but so far nothing has changed.
Kari Taylor Atkins and her husband Matthew are paying about $1,200 a month for a new combination of three drugs, which Taylor Atkins is taking as a third line of treatment for metastatic breast cancer.
Only one of the drugs, called Herceptin, is not being fully covered, although it’s already approved in B.C. and is funded as part of other treatments.
“I’m doing very well under this treatment,” she said. “And I hope to be on it for a long, long time.”
In June, BC Cancer said the new treatment was undergoing cost negations with the drug companies, and added it is possible for some patients to end up paying until funding decisions are made.
However, it’s unclear how long that wait may be.
