Nearly a quarter of a million euros paid out for treatment in January

The Cancer Treatment Foundation received almost 152,000 euros in donations and paid out close to 232,000 euros to cover medical bills in the first month of 2019. The supervisory board of the foundation decided to support the medical treatment of 20 people. In addition, a number of people already receiving help continued to obtain treatment.
 
The new year began with the collection of donations on 1 January at the Estonian Concert Hall, where the traditional Hennessy New Year’s concert was being held. The audience contributed 2500 euros in support of cancer patients. The Hennessy series of concerts, which were held at the end of last year and the beginning of this year in Jõhvi, Tartu, Pärnu and Tallinn, added more than 4400 euros to the foundation’s coffers.
 
Dozens of companies and organisations received letters of thanks from the foundation in January. We thanked entrepreneurs for having supported the foundation in 2018, thereby gifting people life and hope. Hundreds of companies contributed over 1000 euros to the foundation last year. EY, Age McCann, Powerhouse, Deloitte, EfTEN Capital, Utilitas, Luisa Translation Agency, Sviiter, DPD Estonia, Silberauto, Circle K Estonia and others supported our mission by providing much-needed services.
 
Since January, the Estonian Health Insurance Fund has been compensating the cost of six modern anti-cancer drugs, all of which are familiar to the Cancer Treatment Foundation. Among others, the medicine that restored the health of 8-year-old Annabel and 6-year-old Tauris and freed them from neuroblastoma is now on the list of medicines discounted by the Health Insurance Fund. The Cancer Treatment Foundation, in cooperation with the Estonian Association of Parents of Children with Cancer, contributed almost a quarter of a million euros to purchase the medicine.
 
The number of permanent supporters increased significantly after theatre teacher Merle Karusoo called on the public at the end of the year, saying that every Estonian should become a permanent contributor, even if only by donating one euro a month. Today the foundation is supported by nearly 5000 people and companies on a monthly basis.
 
Donations were collected by foundation volunteers at a number of events in January. The traditional ‘Memory’ concert tour of the Vanemuine Theatre, which visited Tartu, Pärnu, Jõhvi, Paide and Tallinn, was the first, at which we have been collecting donations for the past four years. The audiences at this year’s seven concerts were incredibly generous, adding nearly 7200 euros to the Cancer Treatment Foundation’s coffers – more than ever before.
 
Among the members of the Cancer Treatment Foundation team, supervisory board member and oncologist Dr Hele Everaus, fellow supervisory board member and co-founder and Minister of Public Administration Janek Mäggi and the foundation’s CEO Katrin Kuusemäe are all standing in the forthcoming Riigikogu (parliamentary) elections. In addition, there are a number of people among our volunteers who are candidates for various political parties. Everaus is standing in the City of Tartu (Estonian Reform Party, candidate no. 327). Mäggi is a candidate for Jõgeva and Tartu counties (Estonian Centre Party, candidate no. 1011) and Kuusemäe is a candidate for Lääne-Viru County (Estonian Reform Party, candidate no. 291).
 
Martin, 42 years old and a father of two, whose treatment we have been supporting since last year, writes:
 
I’ve now been taking gelatin capsules for three months, which were prescribed by my doctor and funded by ‘The Gift of Life’. I’m so grateful for their support.
In general, and according to the doctors’ tests and opinions, things have improved. I feel better, almost as good as I did before the last operation. My endurance isn’t back to what it was before, though. But because I’m feeling better and able to do more, I’ve been able to get back into work a little at a time. I suppose there are better and worse days, as with any other treatment. The good days are quite exhilarating, and the bad days are better than the good ones were at one point. Thank you very much to the foundation and everyone who’s made a donation.”
 
A 67-year-old father and grandfather from Tallinn whose treatment we started supporting at the beginning of the year writes:
 
We’re truly grateful to ‘The Gift of Life’ for their help. It all started in June 2009 when I had a health scare. I felt terrible and was admitted to hospital, where they did thorough tests on me. That same day, when our two kids graduated from high school, we found out the results: a malignant stomach tumour. It was a huge shock to all of us. It all came out of the blue.
In August 2009 I underwent extensive and rather difficult surgery in Tallinn. We lived one day at a time. Time passed slowly, and we recovered from the shock. In spring 2014 I found out that I needed to start treatment, and it’s ongoing to this day. New tests last November revealed that my treatment plan needs to be changed, which requires a new and very expensive medicine the Health Insurance Fund doesn’t support. So this amazing support is very important to us. We’re sincerely grateful for your help.”
 
Would you like to support cancer patients and give them the gift of life?
 
You can sign up as a permanent supporter in seconds via the bank links on our website. You can now donate online with your mobile phone – the amount is simply added to your phone bill.
 
Bank details can be found here.
 
You can subscribe to our newsletter by e-mailing info@kingitudelu.ee.
 
We wish all of our supporters a wonderful winter!
 
Katrin Kuusemäe
CEO, Cancer Treatment Foundation
 
Toivo Tänavsuu
Founder, Cancer Treatment Foundation