Ontario bartender Mario Diotte has been forced to pay over $100,000 for an experimental treatment in the U.S. for his rare form of cancer that isnāt covered by Ontarioās health-care plan.
The 28 year oldās liver cancer is so rare that, each year, it's only diagnosed 200 times in the entire world.
āItās been a big toll on our family and unfortunately the only treatment plan for me is in New York,ā he told Ā鶹“«Ć½ Channel on Sunday. āThe type of cancer I have doesnāt respond well to radiation, chemotherapy or surgery.ā
The whole ordeal started on Sept. 27 when Diotte felt extreme stomach pains which he initially blamed on an ulcer or another stomach issue. He was later diagnosed with fibrolamellar-carcinoma.
āUnfortunately, there isnāt any funding from the government,ā he said. āFrom what I understand, there are people in the same situation as I am and I just want to spread the word to let people know that unfortunately, there are holes in the system.ā
The bartender said the immunotherapy he needs is a type of biological therapy which helps the immune system fight cancers. The clinical treatment, which is being offered in New York, costs upwards of $100,000.
āItās nobodyās fault ā¦ itās just unfortunate that myself and other people have to go through it,ā he said, adding he also has to pay for his travel and accommodations on top of his medical bills. āIt really hurt our family as a whole.ā
Helping him to find the money are his friends and co-workers, Liam DeBoer and Rob Ratz, who set up a GoFundMe page. As of Sunday morning, theyāve raised $25,000 of the total $100,000 needed.
āWe didnāt expect the turnout to be this huge but friends, family and people that we donāt know have been donating and itās been amazingā he said. āIt really restores my faith in humanity to know that a lot of people reached out to show the love that I didnāt know was out there.ā
According to the , Diotte will be getting the costly experimental treatment by doctors at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York.
His friends DeBoer and Ratz, who work with Diotte in La Carnita restaurant in Toronto, write that in February they plan on running in the in North Carolina to help raise more money.
āEvery dollar helps and 100 per cent of proceeds will go towards Mario,ā they wrote.
The lack of funding for the treatments of rare cancers in Canada is an ongoing issue.
Just a few days ago, Ā鶹“«Ć½ covered the story of Amanda Gouldās trip to Germany to undergo regional chemotherapy for the tumour in her lungs, a procedure that will cost her around $200,000.
If it was offered in Canada it would have cost $130,000 because there would be no currency exchange or need for an extended hospital stay. She also started a to help raise funds.
Cancer is the leading cause of death in Canada, responsible for 30 per cent of all deaths every year, according to the .
