Anker for Audrey Campaign

My name is Marius Matthee and I'm writing this message on behalf of my wife, Audrey Matthee.

At the start of 2022 Audrey was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer which spread to the entire abdomen area including her ovaries and liver. On 04 March 2022 she had to go for an emergency operation due to blockages in the colon caused by the tumours.

Fortunately the Dr's were able to remove 90% of legions and tumours in the abdomen, including both ovaries and over 1m of her colon. The remaining legions were either to small to remove or to difficult due to the positioning.

We were told that this type of cancer unfortunately has the tendency to reoccur and not necessarily in the same place as its origin. 

Audrey started with chemotherapy in April 2022 and completed her 12 sessions with promising results and with her cancer marker decreasing to only 4. 

The post treatment scans also showed promise with only a few small legions in the liver and the lymph. Her oncologist followed the IV treatment with a 4 month maintenance treatment.

Unfortunately Audrey relapsed in the beginning of 2023 with additional legions in the liver and new ones that spread to the lungs. This meant another 12 sessions of IV chemotherapy to follow. 

Audrey again responded well to the treatment and at the end of the treatment cycle the markers decreased to 6 with only one legion remaining in the liver and a enlarged lymph. 

This time we opted not to go for the maintenance treatment due to the prior relapse and other side effects it had on Audrey. Instead we followed a strict diet and overall healthy lifestyle to see if we can maintain or hopefully starve the remaining cancer. For the first two months Audrey did very well and with her follow up blood tests the markers came down to 4, which were very promising for the oncologist and for us. 

But due to the nature of the cancer we knew that we had to continue with the lifestyle and diet to further get the markers down.

Over the past festive season Audrey started complaining about back and abdominal pain that worsened over time. 

We immediately made an appointment for scans and a visit to the oncologist to see what may cause this unbearable pain. 

The results were that the cancer again spread to the lungs with additional tumours on the liver membrane and inside the lobes of the liver. This caused for some serious questions to the oncologist which he answered, and it comes down to this - In the past patients with this type of cancer were lucky to live past one year from diagnosis. The survival rate for Audrey past 4 years from diagnosis is less than 5% and the chances for total remission is also less than 5%. 

Audrey started with her 3rd and final IV chemotherapy treatment in January 2024 which will again run for 12 sessions after which the oncologist recommends a maintenance plan and thereafter there's no other treatment possibilities.

Through this journey we are very blessed to have a great support structure in family and friends who supports us emotionally and financially. We are also privileged to have a medical aid that covers most of the treatment costs. Up until now we were able to cover the co-payments for treatment which can range from R8000 to R17000 per month depending on the treatment.

Unfortunately this journey now brings us to a point where we can't afford the ongoing co-payments anymore and we don't want to put further financial strain on the ones we love.

There's also alternative treatment options available after the final chemotherapy, but these treatments are not covered by the medical aid and are very expensive.

My wife is very strong willed and she wants to live life to the fullest and see our 3 your old boy grow up.

For this to happen and for Audrey to have the best chance of total healing we need your help and your giving hand to see this through.

From our loving family to yours.

Be blessed