Tuesday, April 1, 2014

A request for help

No, it's not for the Borepatch clan, but for a friend.  She describes the situation:
My son is dying. He’s just 33 years young and father to two beautiful children. His doctors, who claim they exhausted all options, give him only a few weeks to live. But there is an option that remains--a possible miracle—hidden behind red tape. Bryan’s a fighter, courageously battling metastatic melanoma for over a year. He’s been prescribed multiple medications and received whole brain radiation twice. Yet despite the recent news he, and I, refuse to give up.  Merck Pharmaceutical Company is presently trialing a possibly life-saving cancer drug, Anti PD-1.  My son’s participation was rejected because of his advanced stage. Our last option is to appeal for “compassionate use,” which, much to my dismay, requires sensational efforts and a social media blitz. Why? What other use could there be for this drug but compassion? How can one be “too far advanced” to trial a potentially life-saving drug?  It is senseless. Bryan is ready and willing. If it works, Merck helped save one of the most precious lives I know, and if not, it’s outside the scope of their study and caused no harm. We can’t, as a society, let this happen. We can’t sit back and watch families try, and fail, to exhaust all options.

Help us make a difference, for Bryan and all cancer victims. Sign our petition to Merck:http://chn.ge/1h479Ej 
Debbie is good folks.  I'd be very grateful if you click on over and sign the petition.

15 comments:

Anonymous said...

I signed it. There by the grace of God could be anyone of us. Nothing to lose by trying.

Dirk said...

Signed. I've always thought that someone who is terminally ill should have the option of a potentially life-saving drug, even if it hasn't been fully tested. Worst-case, they die...they were going to die anyway. Best case, they live. And in either case, the drug maker is almost certainly going to benefit by learning something about it, not to mention the positive publicity of having given someone a chance.

Matt said...

Done and +1 to both previous statements.

Robert Fowler said...

Signed, saved and passed on.

Phil said...

Signed it too.

tsquared said...

+1 here also.

mizdeb said...

Signed and forwarded. Thank you for sharing this

Goober said...

Heartbreaking. Really, truly heartbreaking.

Not to be a heartless jerk, but she does realize that this drug won't help him at this point, right?

I'm staring down both barrels of almost certain cancer in the near future as a result of my autoimmune conditions. My Uncle, who had the same genetic condition that I have, died of melanoma of the same type that the guy in the OP has, and it's probably going to be something I have to fight before much longer. Luckily, in my case, they are keeping close tabs on me so they'll catch it early.

But the fact is that the drug that she is laying these hopes on won't help a person in such late stages of cancer.

Nivolumab tested on folks at stages as late as his only prolonged life for a little bit. Statistically speaking, if he's got 2 weeks to live, then nivolumab will allow him to live a month.

If this drug could cure him, can you imagine what that would mean to the sales of Merck's drug? They'd give it to him gratis if they thought it could save him, because holy shit, they'd sell them some nivolumab then, wouldn't they?

There is no miracle cure. If cancer gets you that completely, you don't live.

Warlock Sundance said...

I signed.

Scott_S said...

Signed - a chance for one is a chance for all.

Chickenmom said...

Signed. I hope and will pray that Merck makes the right decision to help.

Old NFO said...

Done. Any chance is better than NO chance...

taminator013 said...

Done.

Unknown said...

Done.
Good Luck

abnormalist said...

I signed it, wish the best to him and his. Sometimes for a fighter the fight alone is all that tells you you're alive