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Can you help? Breast cancer patient undergoing costly treatment in Germany

Kerry Green is fighting cancer for the fourth time with specialized treatments

On Jan. 6, Azilda resident Kerry Green will travel thousands of miles to Germany to undergo her fourth and final round of cancer treatment to save her life.

Green, a mom and wife, was diagnosed with Stage 1 triple negative breast cancer in 2014 at the age of 35. She had the standard course of treatment — chemotherapy, radiation and surgery — and went into remission for 18 months. 

She went back to work and it seemed life had gone back to normal. About six months later, though, the cancer was back, this time in her axillary nymph node.

“I had asked about a bilateral mastectomy the first time, but they told me I was too young and it was too invasive, and that the chemo and other treatments offered now are just as good,” she said.

When it came back, she demanded a bilateral mastectomy. In 2016, she had both breasts removed. A PET scan came back negative for cancer, and she thought she had finally beaten cancer.

Then, in August 2017, it came back.

“Even though I removed my breasts, it came back,” she said. 

Six more months of chemo, more surgeries and and another 28 rounds of radiation later gave her an all clear that the cancer was gone. 

The joy was short lived, though. On July 26, 2018, she was diagnosed a fourth time.

“It just keeps coming back in that same area,” she said. “The doctors here are dumbfounded. They've never seen anything like it.”

Normally, the cancer would have metastasized to an organ or to the bones or brain, but Green's cancer is “kind of hanging out in that area all the time,” which makes it difficult for doctors in Canada to treat her because that part of her body has already gone through so much — three rounds of chemotherapy and about 70 rounds of radiation, she said.

Upon her fourth diagnosis, her doctors sought a second opinion from Toronto specialists to evaluate if surgery was an option and to radiate. They feared it might not be promising given her history and poor results of previous treatments.

A referral had also been sent to Princess Margaret in Toronto to exhaust all possible treatments in Canada.

Green wasn't about to sit idly by, though. She started to look elsewhere.

Green learned of several people — including a fellow Sudburian — who travelled to Germany for specialized cancer treatment. They both had positive results from the treatment, which provided hope to Green and her family.

In this treatment, the doctors directly infuse the tumours with radiation or chemo so that the tumours take a direct hit.  

“It's not going through your blood,” Green said. “It's not going through your organs, so it's not getting filtered. When it does hit that tumour, it's a full dose.”

The drawback, though, is each treatment — and there are four treatments — costs around US$36,000.

It's an expense that would be insurmountable for most people, including Green, but she swallowed her pride and turned to the community for help. A Gofundme campaign was started, with the lofty goal of raising $200,000.

But Sudbury is a caring community, and Green has a lot of friends and family who want her to live. Through the campaign and dozens of fundraisers, they have already reached more than $114,000.

That gave Green enough money to go through the first three treatments in Germany.

“After the first treatment in September, they were very happy with how it responded,” Green said. “So they scheduled me in right away for another treatment for three weeks after that first treatment. I had to stay in Germany for a month.”

Each round of treatment includes a 10-day stay there, so anything over and above that costs extra — to the tune of about $1,000 a day. Green said the Doghouse restaurant in Azilda paid for her accommodations above what the treatments covered.

That and the exchange rate is why the fundraising goal has been set so high. It's comforting to have that backup cushion, just in case something goes wrong, she said.

An infection in the incision postponed her original date for her fourth treatment. Originally, she had planned on going for Dec. 15, but has since rescheduled it for Jan. 6.

“The community has been amazing,” Green said. “The support and love around me is just mind-blowing. It's not easy for some people to get out there and make their story known. At first, I hung my head in shame, and I would disguise myself when I went out in public. I was worried about buying groceries, because I was spending money that I shouldn't be spending.”

It took a really close friend to sit with her down and say, “Kerry, you have to live your life, too,” and it's still a hard pill for her to swallow, she said. 

“I'm a very proud person and I have a hard time accepting help,” she said. “That was probably my biggest hurdle to get over, to actually ask for help because I needed help.”

Green said she can't express enough her appreciation for her community helping save her life. She's eager for Jan. 6, so she can get the final treatment, beat cancer, and move on with her life.

“I'm young,” she said. “I'm going to be 40 in February. I'm not ready to say goodbye. I'm too feisty. I have lots of life to live.”

There are plenty of chances for Sudburians to support Green. Visit the Gofundme page to donate, or you can contribute through one or more of the many fundraising opportunities taking place. Visit Fight4Kerry on Facebook to find out more.


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Arron Pickard

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