Introduction

Sarvs Falefitu is a 40year old NZ born, Auckland bred Samoan/ Niuean. Sarvs is mother to four teenagers (Kroydon 19 years, Denae 16 years, Kendra 14 years, Grayson 13 years) and has been married to her 'Samoan warrior' for 19 1/2 years.



My gals, Denae (left) & Kendra

My boyz, Grayson (left) and Kroydon

I have breast cancer and so...

This blog has been created in the hopes that I could raise awareness of this 'evil influence that spreads dangerously', according to Collins English Dictionary, Compact Edition, to fundraise to cover the majority of my Herceptin treatment and hopefully this might help other women even in the tiniest way who might be living and dealing to breast cancer also.
I have Grade 2, HER2 positive type cancer and my cancer has moved away from the primary spot and invaded other parts of my body via my lymph vessels and blood vessels. Along with chemotherapy and radiotherapy I will also need Herceptin. NZ only funds Herceptin for 9 weeks but a full 12 months is recommended. I have opted to take the recommended 12 months and it will cost exactly $96,273.60. While some specialists are 'comfortable' with 9 weeks of Herceptin, I am not. I want to attend my teenagers graduations. I need to wave them goodbye when they go on their OE's. I wish to witness them all walk down the aisles, be present at the births of my grandchillens and finally do my big OE with my hubby too - of course without the grandchillens!!! Clearly I have far too much to live for and I implore anyone with time to please support my fundraisers or send any fundraising ideas our way.
Your support will make a lasting difference to my quality of life and I sincerely thank you all in advance for your love and support.

Accolades

Sarvs wishes to acknowledge the amazing staff at St Marks Clinic who at the early days of her breast cancer diagnosis helped and coached her through one of the darkest days of her life.Thank you Michelle, Beverley, Jenny, Tracey, the wonderful surgeons Stephen and Stan. Most importantly Sarvs would like to acknowledge 'Johnny' for having the foresight to establish a beautiful haven such as St Marks Clinic many years ago for women such as herself.



Breakdown of Herceptin costs

Since day dot Dr Mike McCrystal my oncologist has been apologetic of the horrendous Herceptin costs for HER2+ women. Nothing to apologise about Mike it is out of your hands and ours however look closely at what Pharmac and NZ Government are blissfully content in handing to a cancer patient and their loved ones -

Loading dose cost: (1 loading treatment)
Drug cost, delivery (+GST) 500mg $7018.65
Nursing $250.00
Medical $350.00
Consumables $35.00
Hospital charge $100.00
GST $969.20
Sub-total $8722.85 for loading dose at 8mg/kg

Maintenance dose cost: (13 maintenance treatments)
Drug cost, delivery (+GST) 370mg $5251.35
Nursing $250.00
Medical $350.00
Consumables $350.00
Hospital charge $100.00
GST $748.30
Total $6734.65 maintenance dose at 6mg/ kg
Overall total for full course: $96,273.60

So dealing with the diagnosis of breast cancer, losing a breast, having major surgery, being put through chemo treatment, being hospitalised 3 times, going through radiotherapy, getting through the remission period, dealing with the emotional side of this all and then having to fundraise endlessly for Herceptin do you think Pharmac or NZ Government have the right to play God with our lives?!!

24 August 2008

I've aged 20 years since Oct 07...

I've been preoccupied with other areas of life to be blogging lately however this is no means the end of my trials and tribulations or joys and truimphs - pull out the violin's.
But it would be quite timely to mention that cancer does not exclude the trauma stages of teens nor does it make them take the easy road to adolescence out of love for a mother with breast cancer.
I had hoped that my family could have escaped the terrors of teens but just as I did not escape cancer nor have I escaped the troubled teen stage - sigh or shite as has been the case of late.
Again I figure that if I could live through a mastectomy, chemo treatment, radio treatment, side effects and tonnes and tonnes of yucky tests then it should have toughened me mentally and emotionally for other parts of my life and many times throughout the past months I have survived the day without cracking - just.
Anywho, with everything else that has just snowballed in our lives lately, I haven't forgetten the kindness people have shown in our time of need nor would I intentionally not mention the hard work people put in for my Herceptin. Far from it, it really is a case of tending to other matters that is not cancer related even though I would liken it to cancer sometimes...LOL...I wish that chemo could kill some of the behaviours of our teens and radio would burn out their desire to grow up too fast - and I heard all the mum's out there say 'amen'.

I begin Herceptin in 6 weeks. I'm not looking forward to the needles or the bloods but I will be looking forward to 2009 when I will look back and sigh with relief that I got through the cancer treatment and I survived another year in one of the hardest roles in life...parenting (through cancer).
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