Chuck Phelps says he expects to start taking the life-extending drug Avastin by the end of the week.
But at a cost of $13,000 a month he is going to need some major help from his friends to continue to take the doctor-prescribed medication.
Avastin currently isn?t funded through Ontario's public drug programs for treatment of patients with recurrent glioblastoma multiforme, a form of brain cancer.
?It funny they expect the patients to pay for it, but they can?t work,? said Dan Martel, a long-time friend of Phelps who is helping organize Just Chuck 2.5. ?How are they supposed to cover it??
The cancer- blasting drug Avastin, unlike traditional chemotherapy, prevents tumours from expanding by cutting off the growth of new blood vessels.
The new treatment will begin about a month after Phelps fifth brain surgery ? a craniotomy that took place at Victoria Hospital and lasted eight hours ? designed to remove the growing brain tumor that he was diagnosed with in 2010.
?Emotionally it has been a rollercoaster, the surgery was just as intense as in 2010,? Phelps said.
But Chuck credits support from his friends and from those who posted comments on his Facebook page ? where he has documented his journey ? for helping him through it.
?I have a huge support system,? he said. ?I need to thank so many people.?
His doctor, he said, told him he?s never performed more than two craniotomies, an operation where a part of the bone from the skull is removed so the operation can be performed, on any one person before.
Phelps said the operation is designed to slow down the spread of the cancer, not stop it.
?The cancer is very close to some major arteries, they couldn?t remove that,? Phelps said Tuesday.
Phelps, who is no longer undergoing chemotherapy, has been told the drug Avastin may extend his lifespan by shrinking the tumour and he hopes to continue his battle against the disease with same ferocity as he has in the past.
?The biggest thing is I?m fighting,? Phelps said. ?I need to have people help me overcome the odds.?
In 2011 the first Just Chuck fundraiser raised over $40,000.
Phelps said after treatment and medications, he has about $12,000 left to pay for Avastin.
All the proceeds from a second Just Chuck fundraiser, held in 2012, went to Woodstock District Developmental Services.
On August 17 a Just Chuck 2.5 fundraiser is being held at Woodstock Legion, featuring a DJ and possible a couple of surprises.
They are also looking for donations for a silent auction.
Tickets are $20 and can be purchased at Beaches ?n? Dreams tanning Salon, Precision Automotive and at the door.
All the money made from ticket sales will go to pay for Phelp?s cancer treatment.
?I want to make sure everyone has fun, that?s important to me,? Phelps said.
A special trust account has also been opened to help Phelps pay for the Avastin. Access the account at the CIBC #04752/71-48992.
?I need 50 cents a month from everybody in Woodstock, only 50 cents,? Phelps said.
heather.rivers@sunmedia.ca
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