My name is Andrew, I am 33 years old, and I am from Poland. In October, 2012 I was diagnosed with an inoperable and aggressive 4th stage of Non Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC). I have a tumor in the left lobe of the lung and disseminated tumors in both lobes of the lungs with metastases to the lymph nodes.
As I have never smoked cigarettes in my life,
at the initial phase of the study, doctors excluded lung
cancer. Laboriously slow, long and misdiagnosed, my case was studied
in the hospitals in Poland and in London where I live with my wife Kamila.
The amount of time that was wasted in diagnosing
my condition meant the cancer had time to spread quickly. I was told that a
typical feature of NSCLC is a fast growth and rapid development. Regretfully,
I'm facing the most brutal fact of my life which has turned out to be this
killer disease.
At the moment, I am in the 3rd of six cycles
of chemotherapy which takes place every three weeks. My condition is so serious
that in order to survive at least few more years I need to undergo an alternative
form of treatment in Germany. The therapy is called hyperthermia
and is based on the destruction of tumor cells by using high temperatures.
Research shows that this form of therapy is very effective, even for
patients diagnosed at a very advanced stage of lung cancer. However,
this is an expensive treatment and unfortunately neither I nor my
supportive family can afford it as we do not have sufficient funds. The cost of
the hyperthermia in Germany is 5000 Euros per week.
There is also a chance for
another treatment in the USA at the Burzynski's Clinic where treatment of
cancer cells is carried out at a DNA level. The success rate of this treatment
is above 40%. Although these statistics give me great hope, the cost of a
six-month treatment plan is about 150 thousand dollars which is not affordable
for me.
At this time, these two therapies are the
only chance I have as the chemotherapy only improves the quality of my
life and slightly extends it. Research shows that patients
diagnosed with a Non Small Cell Lung Cancer stage four, while having the
standard methods of treatment live on average up to two years and
only 2% of those patients live up to 5 years.
Mentioned above methods of treatment in
Germany and in the United States would increase my chance of a normal, long
life and may increase the chances of operability of the tumor.
According to German doctors I would
need a few weeks of therapy and to continue with research and monitor the
progress of the treatment while continuing chemotherapy in Poland. In January,
2013 I will have my first two weeks of hyperthermia therapy. All my savings and
a loan will be used for these first two sessions.
I really need financial support for the next
stage of these treatments and this is why I am asking for your help. Please
help me to live. I would like to say thank you in advance from the bottom
of my heart for even a small donation that could save my life. Thank You!
Sincerely,
Andrew