A Kitchener, Ont. woman and her family are pushing the provincial government to fund a rare cancer treatment. Noor Ayesha, 25, is a new mother but she’s facing a greater challenge than motherhood.
She has been diagnosed with cholangiocarcinoma, a rare form of cancer that originates in the bile ducts of the liver. “I get out of breath really fast and I’m also losing my appetite,” she said. While Ayesha has maintained her positivity, she can’t help but ask the tough questions: “Am I going to survive this? Am I going to live to see the next day?” Her family has been by her side, looking at every option possible since her diagnosis.
The cancer, however, is considered incurable. “I just felt as if the world had dropped on me, knowing that your sister is diagnosed with cancer,” Mohammed Islam recalled about the day he found out about Ayesha’s diagnosis. “You now only have about one year with your sister.
” Dr. Andrea Molckovsky, Ayesha’s medical oncologist at Grand River Regional Cancer Centre in Kitchener, said current efforts to prolong her life aren’t working as well as they’d hoped. “Noor is running out of time because she’s already on the second line chemotherapy,” Molckovsky explained.
There is a new Health Canada-approved oral drug called Pemigatinib, which could help Ayesha live longer. “When it works, it can work very well,” said Molckovsky. But there’s a catch.
The drug, which is sold under the brand name Pemazyre, is not covered i.
