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No one suspected cancer
“The suspicion that something was wrong arose in 2019. in the spring. I started to have a sore neck, as if the draft had vanished. But when the pain did not go away for a long time, I realized that there was something more serious, so I went to the doctors. Investigations were carried out and the cause was sought. Nobody even thought about cancer.
During that time, my neck thickened so much that my shoulders and head seemed to merge. I thought I looked like this because I started to gain weight. I was happy at the time and didn’t suspect anything bad. It took half a year to detect a thyroid test and a tumor.
Thyroid cancer is usually not very dangerous. But my man is special. While doctors have yet to determine its type, one thing is clear: it is the most aggressive and the worst it could have been. I read that statistically people die in three months, but I am still alive, ”said Teresa.
Photo from personal album / Teresa
Although a woman’s diagnostic code is generic (thyroid cancer, called C73), the tumor, doctors say, is rare and unpredictable. When asked how she dealt with the initial shock, the woman assured that hearing the diagnosis was ready. She was even interested in the types of tumors.
“Before saying the diagnosis, the doctor suggested that I first discuss another topic because he was afraid that he would not be able to continue the conversation after hearing the diagnosis. But I promised that I could. I am a believing person and I believe that God always takes us by the hand and shows us the way out. I also believe in the progress of science and I believe that today cancer is not a verdict, it is cured like any other disease, you just have to find solutions ”, said the interlocutor.
The last hope is non-reimbursable drugs
The diagnosis was followed by surgery to remove the thyroid gland and six cycles of chemotherapy. However, research has shown that the disease is spreading: lymph node metastases have occurred, so another cycle of chemotherapy has been proposed. Until doctors decided what to do and what treatment to prescribe, the cancer had spread to the lungs. As a result, a 50-year-old woman currently has difficulty breathing. Unfortunately, the second chemotherapy was ineffective and only led to more side effects.
“Then there was genetic testing that showed that I was lucky in some way because there are mutations in my body that respond to certain drugs. Therefore, I may be eligible for a specific treatment. But in Lithuania these drugs are prescribed only for lung cancer and my main diagnosis is thyroid cancer. And according to the law, doctors have no right to change it. So I had to go through a crossroads to get at least one prescription for these drugs.
Genetic testing has shown that I am lucky in a way because there are mutations in my body that respond to certain medications.
They have consulted us in Israel, in Germany, where drugs are prescribed for other cancers if there is a mutation that I have. And they help people. However, there is no such possibility in Lithuania: it is in a vicious circle. During the first month, we bought the drugs on our own, during the second month, the drugs were purchased by the Cancer Treatment Support Fund, but it is still unknown, and the drugs may need to be used for a long time, “he said. . Teresa.
The price of the monthly course is 4500 euros. The woman says that by adding together her and her husband’s funds, they would save this amount in just half a year, even though she herself, even in a serious medical condition, still works remotely from home. “And how not to work? Then there would be no chances to save ”, assured the woman.
She is currently supported by the first positive changes she is experiencing just a month after taking the medication. Her breathing was much easier (Teresa assured her that during the conversation she was very disturbed by excitement, so her breathing became very strong). The neck, which was still widened until now, became slimmer. A significantly greater force emerged. The woman was already able to walk, even considering going out, even though she hadn’t been able to take a couple of steps in the last months before the new treatment, so she was only lying down or sitting.
“It was a very difficult month, accompanied by despair and ignorance. As if you know that there is a treatment, but you cannot receive it because you do not have it legally. The doctors made it clear that if it weren’t for this medicine, there was nothing more to offer me than palliative care that would alleviate the symptoms, ”the interlocutor opened.
Life takes on a different meaning
The woman admits that it has been very difficult for her to go by herself and seek the help of a foundation that in turn appeals to all people of good will to help Teresa buy medicines that are vital to her.
When asked who supported her the most, Teresa assured me that she trusted God and had a great team to support loved ones.
“It’s hard to explain, but I feel like I’m receiving the signs from God. It takes me exactly where I am best, it brings me to the right people, it sends me contacts. Clearly, everything is happening because I am not sitting with my hands together.
My husband, my children, my sister, the whole family, friends help me a lot. I just don’t want to abuse, I don’t want to jump on me, but sometimes there is no other way out. I have always been happy with life, I try not to lose the joy of living now, but the attitude towards many things has changed. They gained more value. In the past, “good morning” was just “good morning”, and now those words are spreading further from the heart because you really appreciate that morning you woke up.
And I feel infinite gratitude towards others. It is surprising that there are people who will lend you a hand and give you hope that you can still have happy moments in your life when you are not alone.
Staying alone is the hardest part. Of course, that outstretched hand is not easy to accept. It is much easier to give than to ask. It hurts a lot when at night, tormented by insomnia, I get up and a child comes to see how I feel. I am not going to the child, but the child comes to me. I feel like I haven’t really given my loved ones as much as I get from them now. I did not pay more attention to them in my time, so now my conscience is broken, “Teresa opened.
Photo from personal album / Teresa
Doctor – no more options
Chemotherapist Leonid Gatiyutulin, an oncologist at the National Cancer Institute, confirmed that Teresa has a relatively rare thyroid cancer that spreads rapidly.
“As the disease spread, we gave two different courses of chemotherapy. The patient was consulted in other countries whose specialists recommended genetic tests. We helped do this and found certain mutations that have a drug to block, but are usually prescribed for other diseases.
Enough clinical trials have been done for it to be effective in treating lung cancer, so it pays off in many countries. On the other hand, it is now thought that even in other types of cancer, if the mutation is mentioned, the drug can help. Therefore, experts have suggested the use of these drugs that block the genetic pathway of the disease.
As I alone cannot decide to prescribe drugs outside the indication, we have discussed this issue in the Bioethics Committee. All agreed that an attempt should be made. However, the problem is that when the drug is not used for the indication, that is, not for the treatment of lung cancer, but for the treatment of thyroid cancer (because the lungs are not the primary cancer, but the tissue altered thyroid gland)), no compensation can be claimed. And that is the main problem. Therefore, the only way is to apply to the support fund. These practices also exist in other countries.
The patient has been taking these drugs for a month and so far the situation has not really worsened, there are no side effects. So far, the treatment is going well and the operation of the drug will be shown by the tests that will be carried out in a few months, ”explained the interlocutor.
The Cancer Treatment Support Fund is established on a voluntary basis; everyone who works for him does it for free. Its aim is to help people with cancer receive vital treatment that is not reimbursed in Lithuania. The decision whether or not to grant a patient’s request is made by the foundation board, which includes patient and physician representatives. Treatment is funded only for patients whose medical condition allows a positive effect. According to Aurelija Juškevičienė, director of the foundation, in Teresa’s case, experts were also asked who confirmed that this drug could help the patient.
Those who can contribute to Teresa’s treatment and give her hope to stop the disease can donate money in the following ways:
Container: Cancer Treatment Support Fund
What: LT932140030004135605 (Luminor bankas)
Aim: help Teresa
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