Cancer is a stealthy disease and is often diagnosed unexpectedly. As Angus King knows, it can change your whole life in an instant.
“I was experiencing personality changes that were out of the ordinary,” the Dartmouth, Nova Scotia native recalls. “It got to the point where I wanted to get checked out, and this led to a CT scan in early October of last year.”
Given the lack of any pain, Angus expected to hear that his was psychological issue. Instead, the scan showed the telltale signs of a brain tumour. The doctors moved quickly, and the next day he was in Halifax undergoing an MRI at the QEII Health Sciences Centre’s Brain Repair Centre.
“My neurosurgeon suspected it was a common but very aggressive type of cancer, and told me I had two options: a biopsy to investigate the matter further, or surgery to remove as much of the tumour as they could find,” he said.
After learning that a biopsy procedure would then place him on an indefinite wait list for further surgery, Angus decided for the second option. Following six-and-a-half hours of surgery, over 80 per cent of the tumour was removed.
For a time, Angus fared very well. He was mobile, more focused in his thoughts and was sleeping better. Three weeks later, he began a standard protocol of treatment for his cancer, a combination of radiation therapy and chemotherapy. By January 2010, he was beginning his final stage of chemotherapy treatment.
“By June, the MRIs were showing no growth in the remaining tumour,” Angus remembers. “My specialist told me she would keep seeing me, but my provincially-funded course of treatment was complete and private coverage would be required to continue.”
After obtaining a second opinion, Angus did just that through his health insurance plan. “I only pursued private coverage in the first place to give my wife Barb peace of mind,” Angus explains. “Diabetes and heart disease run in my family, and she pushed me to get covered. I’m extremely glad I followed her advice.”
But by September 2010, his situation changed again. The tumour appeared to be growing, which suggested the chemo was no longer working. A second surgery was deemed to be very risky based on the sensitive area of the brain housing the tumour, and there was only one other option to consider.
“I was told the drug Avastin could help,” Angus says. “However, Nova Scotia only covers the drug for colorectal & lung cancer and, very recently, age-related macular degeneration—not brain cancer. My insurer doesn’t cover the cost either.”
Angus and Barb discussed their options, as well as the $4500 they would have to pay for Avastin every two weeks. In the end, Angus’s practical nature prevailed.
“I feel fortunate that we’ve lived frugally and have saved,” Angus says, noting that his IT consulting business has been on hold since his diagnosis. “But I have kids who are 16 and 19, and we’ve always put money away for their post-secondary education and our retirement. I told my wife there’s no way I’m jeopardizing my family’s financial security to fund a drug. She doesn’t like me saying that, but I just won’t do it.
Speaking as a cancer patient at a recent brain tumour awareness event, Angus met Dr. Rolando Del Maestro, the Clinical Director of the Brain Tumour Research Centre at the Montreal Neurological Hospital-Institute. Dr. Del Maestro offered to review Angus’s medical file, and Angus now awaits a response after sending his information. Apart from that, he and his family are simply hoping for the best.
“The medical system responded to my situation quickly and they did as well as could be expected,” Angus recaps. “But having gone through this and knowing the challenges a patient can face, I’d like to see a catastrophic drug plan in place so I and others can pursue other possible courses of treatment without the worry of bankruptcy.”
