Nick Discepola has a wealth of personal experience that inspires his involvement in the Campaign to Control Cancer.
A longtime member of parliament serving the federal riding of Vaudreuil-Soulanges in Québec, Nick attended C2CC’s first official meetings in Aylmer, Quebec in 2003 as an elected official. But his interest in the campaign went far beyond political advocacy.
“My wife was diagnosed with T-Cell Lymphoblastic Lymphoma, a blood cancer that commonly affects children,” he explains. “She was treated for 27 months and is now an 11-year survivor.”
Ironically, Nick himself was diagnosed with a rare cancer after serving the campaign for five years and becoming the current Chair of its Board of Directors. “Lightning struck twice, and I was diagnosed with a pancreatic neuroendocrine tumour (NET) in 2008.”
Pancreatic NET can grow aggressively and at time of diagnosis nearly 60 per cent of all patients have advanced disease. The median overall survival for patients with advanced pancreatic NET is 24 months.
As he continues treatment and its associated costs, Nick is vocal about the implementation of a national Catastrophic Drug Coverage program to benefit all Canadians in need.
“Having pursued targeted hormone therapy at a cost of $4,000 per month, I needed to look at additional options as the treatment wasn’t working to shrink the tumour,” Nick says. “I began taking Afinitor, a new oral tablet from Novartis, at a cost of $7,000 per month to supplement my therapy.” None of the cost is covered by his provincial drug coverage.
“Wearing my tax hat, that comes to $11,000 per month in after-tax dollars. On a retirement income, that’s a huge blow to me and my family. This is not a practice that should be allowed to continue in Canada.
“I’m fortunate to have applied for and receive Afinidor through Novartis’s compassionate use program—without their help I don’t know what I would do. I would have to beg, borrow or steal to continue my treatment.”
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Five years ago, Carol was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a rare cancer of the plasma cells that are critical to the functioning of the immune system. Having moved to New Brunswick after retirement, she appreciated that she was just minutes away from excellent care at her local hospital. However, the lack of a Catastrophic Drug program in her new home province meant her treatment options were limited..
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“Mom buried her face in her hands and cried after the doctor left the room,” Traci says. “Not because of the diagnosis, but because her drugs were going to cost between $5,000 and $7,000 per month.
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