Magick Matter, Anna Hart
It’s not an overstatement to say that Catherine Cooke has faced more adversity in her 53 years than many of us will in our lifetimes. The second youngest of eight children, Catherine was raised by a single mother who often juggled three jobs.
“We were poor, but Mum’s hard work inspired me to become an entrepreneur,” says Catherine, who’s run several companies, including The Engine, a business advisory service she started 10 years
ago with her husband Peter.
For more than a decade, the mother of two has experienced multiple setbacks. In 2013, she lost her fashion company and almost her house after being a victim of employee fraud. Then she suffered an aneurysm, which left her deaf in one ear, and was later diagnosed with an autoimmune condition that led to spinal surgery.
Facing triple-negative breast cancer
Yet nothing is as daunting as the challenge she’s facing right now – moving through treatment for stage three triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), the most aggressive form of the disease. Catherine is one of the 350 Kiwi women diagnosed each year with TNBC, which doctors say is the hardest to treat because it doesn’t respond to traditional hormone therapy.
“I was in such a good place when I went for my usual mammogram,” she recalls.
“To find out I had TNBC and needed to start chemo straightaway was a real shock.”
Alongside chemotherapy, Auckland-based Catherine was told the immunotherapy drug Keytruda, which helps the body’s immune system fight cancer cells, would give her the best chance of survival.
A drug that offers hope
However, another nasty shock was to come. Because Catherine’s cancer wasn’t advanced enough, the Keytruda infusions every three weeks weren’t funded because she has early-stage TNBC. It costs $7840 for 100ml of Keytruda. Yet even though she has health insurance, Catherine estimates to date she’s spent around $100,000 on the drug and chemotherapy.
“It’s been a huge personal and emotional cost,” she says.
“I’m not suicidal, but sometimes I think it would be easier to just go to sleep and never wake up because I’m so stressed about how I’m going to pay for this treatment.”
A lifeline from generosity
In February, a friend started a Givealittle page and an anonymous donor gave $50,000.
“I was so humbled by their generosity,” she reveals.
“It meant I could continue accessing a life-saving drug.”
Despite receiving the large amount, the donation isn’t enough. Catherine’s now put the family home she’s lived in for 20 years on the market to pay for further courses of the cancer treatment.
“I feel so guilty because this is the house my kids grew up in,” she admits.
“I feel like I’m letting them down. I’ve never asked for money and have worked hard all my life, but in this economy, I can’t go to the bank because I can’t work at the moment. They won’t lend me any money if I can’t pay it back.”
Taking the fight to parliament
The injustice of her situation spurred Catherine to start a petition, calling on the Government to fund Keytruda for patients at the early stage of TNBC. In July, she presented 17,096 signatures to her local MP Mark Mitchell.
“It makes no sense that we’re not making Keytruda available to early-stage TNBC patients,” she says.
“When the cancer has spread beyond the breast, the cost of treatment goes up. “It’s more aggressive, and the impacts on the health system and the mental health system are far greater. About 40 other countries fully fund Keytruda, including Australia, the US and Canada, so why can’t we?”
Another hurdle ahead
While recent surgery to remove her tumour was successful. However oncologists found there was still evidence of cancer cells, meaning she’ll need further chemotherapy and Keytruda, a cost she estimates to be around $50,000
“It’s hard selling our house in this market, so I’m not sure how I’m going to fund this extra cost,” she says.
“My health insurance is capped out and either I pay the additional cost or I forgo the critical treatment I need.”
Refusing to give up
But she’s not giving up her fight to get early-stage TNBC funded and will soon present a submission to Parliament.
“I’ll continue to advocate until things change,” she vows.
“I’m not just fighting for myself but for all those women who are yet to be diagnosed. “We’re all hard-working Kiwis – we shouldn’t have to choose between treatment and financial ruin.”
To donate, search for “Catherine Cooke” on givealittle.co.nz
