The Gift of Life Cancer Treatment Foundation has come under
great pressure at the beginning of 2018.In the last three weeks alone the
foundation received a couple of dozen applications – more than we have ever
received at once. Although the foundation was able to support 18 people, we
still ask everyone to support cancer patients with a regular donation, no
matter how small it is, to make sure no cancer patient is left without crucial
help and hope this year as well.
Among
the 18 people whose application was approved by the foundation’s council are
people all over Estonia suffering from various forms of cancer. Each
beneficiary’s medication costs 2000-6000 euros a month.
A
50-year old Tallinn woman, Marju Maasik-Kütt, continues to rely on the
foundation in her fight with cervical cancer. The Gift of Life also funds the
kidney cancer treatment of a 60-year old man from Viljandi.
A 35-year
old mother, Maily Luberg, will receive leukaemia treatment thanks to the
foundation’s support, which will cost more than 57,000 euros in the coming four
months.
Six
people – men aged 67 and 87 and four women aged 58, 59, 60 and 79 – receive
various bowel cancer treatment medications thanks to the foundation. The
patients live in Tallinn, Lääne-Viru County and Kohtla-Järve. Four of them
started their treatment just recently, while two have been supported by the
foundation for quite a while.
Five
people – three middle-aged men and two women – can rely on the foundation’s
help in their fight with lung cancer. The patients come from Tallinn, Tartu and
Narva. Among them is Erik Saar, a family man from Tartu, whose monthly
treatment has been supported by the Gift of Life since spring 2016. Two men
aged 49 and 67 and a 63-year old woman are still undergoing successful lung
cancer treatment. They are all gifts of life, as they have received precious
days to their lives.
The
youngest patient supported by the foundation in the last weeks is a 32-year old
woman from Rae municipality who has sarcoma in her breast.
We
also continue funding the gastric cancer treatment of Anu Nahkur, a 69-year old
experienced piano teacher, and liver cancer treatment of a 58-year old man from
Tallinn. The foundation also supports a 47-year old family man’s fight with
Hodgkin’s lymphoma for the first time.
A
59-year old teacher from Kohtla-Järve fighting bowel cancer, whose three-month treatment is
funded with 7800 euros by the foundation, writes: “I sadly learned about
my terrible disease – colon
cancer – too late. I simply didn’t recognise the symptoms and since I
hadn’t been ill much, I didn’t pay them enough attention at the right time.
Summer
2015 was a bad one for me – I was really moody, tired, sleepy and had lost
nearly all of my will. At the end of August I went to my GP, who conducted some
analyses. I had to go to the hospital the very next day as my haemoglobin
levels were very low. I received a blood transfusion and they allowed me to go
to school on 1 September – I am a class teacher. Only to return to the hospital
afterwards. More thorough studies revealed that I had cancer.
So I
started to travel to and from Tartu. First the treatment procedures, then the
surgery and treatment all over again. I felt terribly sorry about my hair. But
the most important was that the metastases were gone.
2017
was pretty calm, I felt quite normal. Until August when I was told that things
had become worse. The metastases were back and had spread to several organs. I
received treatment once again, but everything seemed to go downhill.
That’s
when Dr Andrus Mägi suggested that I apply to the cancer treatment foundation. Meanwhile,
I received no treatment, and it was really depressing. Now I have been taking
pills for three weeks and I’m feeling okay. Naturally, I still have pains and
other ailments at times. But at least there’s hope! I want to fight and I will,
because there’s still so much to do in my life.
I’m a
widow with two children and two grandchildren. No words needed. But I also have
some young people whom I want to take their Estonian language and literature
exams. I have established a good relationship with them and they truly hope
they can graduate with me. I will try not to let them down – all thanks to you.
I have been working most of the time, besides the treatment days. I can’t
imagine just sitting at home in pain, school is my therapy. I really appreciate
the foundation and all the benefactors.”
The
Cancer Treatment Foundation kindly asks all people and companies in Estonia to
support the foundation with a regular donation to make sure everyone receives
aid.
You
can make a donation within seconds using the bank link at the foundation’s
website www.kingitudelu.ee/annetajale.