The last ten days have been an emotional roller coaster. Moving through shock to anger to acceptance to determination. After exhaustive (and exhausting) research, we think we have made a decision that gives Sadie the best chance at beating this disease and living a long and healthy life. Some may not agree with the path we have chosen. It is not the path well trodden. It is also an expensive option.
One of the challenges with this decision is that we need to ask our friends and family for help. That is a pretty uncomfortable place for me (call me fiercely independent or stubborn as a mule - your choice). While setting up a gofundme page allows people to ask for and give financial support without the awkwardness of an actual conversation, it does still require us (me) to put pride aside and share a private family problem. I’m not sure why it is so hard to share these difficult moments of life. We share the happy ones readily enough. My Facebook feed is full of happy and proud moments. I guess it’s because sharing painful moments opens up a level of vulnerability that is uncomfortable.
What is the plan? Well we expect to leave this week and drive to Mexico. While there are other clinics around the world that offer comparable treatment options, we felt flying would be too risky in our current Covid-19 world. Once in Mexico, Sadie will spend 6 hours a day, 6 days a week for 6 weeks receiving a combination of low-dose chemotherapy and other alternative treatments. While the chemotherapy contains the same drugs as those administered in Canada, the clinic uses a different approach to deliver the chemo directly to the cancer cells called DPT (DMSO Potentiation Therapy). This approach reduces the amount of drugs required to about 10-15% of what is used in the conventional chemo program in Canada and reduces the number of chemo cycles required to obtain results. They then utilize detox strategies to minimize the impact the chemo drugs have on the rest of the body. They combine this chemo program with a number of other therapies that have shown results in treating cancer, including immunotherapy. The overall result is a significantly less toxic treatment plan with the same level of results.
So now we pack our bags and get our affairs in order for what looks like an extended stay away from home.