Taking Care of Cancer Patients in Need
The Cancer Patient Care Fund

When my husband, Mike, was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s disease six years ago, I immediately thought the worst. To be honest, I thought it was the end. But Mike got through it thanks to the wonderful nurses and staff in our Cancer Centre.

Just four years later, in September 2008, I was diagnosed with melanoma. It seemed unbelievable that we would both have to face cancer. Mike said to me: “I beat cancer. So will you.” I’m so glad he was right.

My husband and I are so grateful we were able to receive our care at home in Cape Breton. My husband is on a disability pension and traveling four hours in a car would have been too hard on him physically. We couldn’t have done it.

After I finished my treatment, I had to take a medication called an interferon to prevent the melanoma from coming back. I had to take this prescription three times a week for a year. The cost of this prescription was $3000 for a two week supply. I am not working and my husband is on a disability pension, so we don’t have health insurance. Because I don’t have health insurance, I was going to have to either pay for the prescription out of my pocket or not have treatment. There was no way I could afford this medication.

I am so grateful for the Cancer Patient Care Fund. This fund helped both me and my husband by covering the costs of the expensive medications we needed to beat cancer.

Without this fund, we couldn’t have paid for our prescriptions. Without this fund, I don’t know what we would have done.

Amy Carberry, Sydney Mines