04/06/2024
Please share 🙏🏻
My name is Cody, I’m 29 years old and have been suffering from an incurable painful autoimmune disease since 11 months of age which is now severely worsen and impacting my quality of life.
I’m a mother, I’m a sister, I’m an aunt and friend to many and also a daughter to my late mother, my biggest advocate. Who suddenly passed away at the age of 42, leaving me to care for my intellectual brother and teenage sister. Many people rely upon me to be here for a long time to come, especially my 6-year-old daughter, my biggest blessing in life.
The disease I suffer from is called Recurrent Respiratory Papillomatosis, I suffer from the rare form sub type 6 and 11 which has spread from my airways and now into my lungs, starting to block off all of the little breathing passage ways which causes me to struggle to breathe in many different ways, it reduces my physical activity, it effects my vocal cords and speech leaving me breathless and with a husky voice. Due to the lack of oxygen I require an oxygen machine to sleep at night because my stats drop into the 70s and stay in that range. Eventually the papillomas will keep spreading blocking my breathing passage way further, then requiring oxygen throughout the day also. I also suffer chronic pain daily just from breathing and it can be worsened with exertion or sickness. As part of this condition, I have a chronic cough and wheeze with increased phlegm that also causes pain. Over the course of 29 years I’ve endured over 500 surgeries to remove the papillomas that keep growing back. These papillomas are displaying high dysplasia which means they can turn cancerous at any moment, when they do, it will rapidly spread beyond control. Which is the reasoning
behind me sharing my story today. My only option left after suffering from an allergic reaction from Bevacizuab (immunotherapy treatment) is to try
Keytruda (pembrolizumab) another immunotherapy drug that targets small cell lung cancer. Unfortunately, I do not qualify for this treatment due to the rarity of my condition which is now leaving me with no other option then to fundraise to roughly the amount of $150,000.
I’m currently under the care of Professor O’Byrne at the Cyril Gilbert Cancer Centre, he strongly recommends I crowd fund to purchase this treatment
as he thinks it will benefit my outcome.
This treatment works by using my own immune system to fight my tumour growth to shrink them into hopefully nothing.
Over the coming months I will be fundraising in all form of ways, to try reach my goal of $150,000. I would appreciate any help I can get. Please feel free to follow me on the biggest fight for my life. I will be trying to update as much as I can.
