Crowdfunding initiative for Vancouver man with leukemia raises nearly $100,000 in five days

Friends of Pat Placzek raise money for costly U.S. clinical trial

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      The friends and family of a Vancouver man suffering from leukemia are working hard to help raise money to fund his participation in a costly clinical trial in the United States—one that will cost almost half a million dollars.

      Born and raised in Vancouver, Pat Placzek, 34, was diagnosed with leukemia only a few months after the successful completion of radiation treatment for another cancer, epithelial sarcoma.

      “The crazy part about it is that there’s some thought that the radiation he had from that cancer might have been what caused the leukemia, which is pretty heartbreaking,” said long-time friend Anique Ross, who sometimes acts as his personal assistant.

      Ross and a number of Placzek’s close friends and family have started an online fundraiser to help him cover the costs associated with the trial, which will begin April 1.

      “Myself and some other friends are also doing another fundraiser, a big party that’s happening in a couple of weeks,” Ross said of an event planned for April 11. 

      “We’ve got a lot of donations for a silent auction and people are volunteering their time. It’s been quite amazing, the outpouring of support.”

      The online crowdfunding initiative was started by family friend and Georgia Straight contributer Jessica Werb on Monday (March 23), and in only a few days, supporters have donated nearly $100,000.

      Ross, who has known Placzek for more than 15 years, describes the passionate 34-year-old as funny, grounded, and loving.

      “He’s someone who really likes to laugh a lot. He’s very insightful. I’m just seeing that more and more throughout this process; he’s so self-aware.”

      After being diagnosed with leukemia, Placzek suspended his studies at York University in Toronto, where he was working towards obtaining a master’s degree in urban planning.

      “Pat’s always been someone with a lot of diverse interests. He’s always been interested in how things work, how cities work. He would have loved to start doing some work in urban planning in a small town,” Ross said.

      Following five aggressive rounds of chemotherapy, Placzek underwent a painful bone-marrow transplant in December, with marrow from his brother, Dan.

      He spent the next few weeks in the hospital, where, suffering from an inflamed liver, he developed diabetes as a result of the treatment.

      “It was something new everyday: new adjustments, new medications, new regimes, and it was really hard to find any sort of balance.”

      According to Ross, Placzek was only a few days away from the pivotal 100-day mark—when doctors typically test to see whether the bone marrow transplant was successful—when a March 16 biopsy revealed cancerous cells.

      “Until last week, it was all looking quite promising,” Ross said.

      Within three days, Placzek was back on chemotherapy while friends tried to enlist him in a clinical trial for which he had been deemed suitable prior to receiving the transplant.

      The trial, which will take place at Seattle's Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, involves an experimental treatment called chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy. In early trials, the treatment had a success rate of almost 90 percent  and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration designated it as a breakthrough therapy.

      The treatment, deemed by friends and family as Placzek’s last chance at recovery, takes a patient’s T-cells, a type of white blood cell which develop in the brain's thymus or tonsils, and reprograms them to attack cancerous cells.

      Normally, patients don't pay for clinical trials. However, because Placzek is not American, the associated costs of the treatment such as additional medical care and hospital accommodations are not covered by insurance.

       Ross said the online fundraiser's goal is $400,000, and she plans to continue to share it on social media and throughout the community by organizing a series of additional fundraising events.

      “Our focus is the page, to get people directed there. It’s been amazing to see how people are sharing it through their networks—even people who knew Pat 10 or 15 years ago are donating.

      “It’s important to pay it forward. Pat has touched so many people’s lives and we all just want to see him get well.”

      Comments

      5 Comments

      Pat Fan

      Mar 27, 2015 at 4:22pm

      You can also support Pat by coming out to the Sunday Service at the Fox Cabaret on Main Street this Sunday night (March 29). All profits will be going to help Pat. Doors 7:30, show at 9pm.

      Follow any updates about Pat on Twitter: #PatPlaczek

      Thank you!

      0 0Rating: 0

      Blergh

      Mar 27, 2015 at 7:47pm

      It's not peer reviewed, but I've seen lots of people online talk about beating cancer by eating 1-3 grams of high potency cannabis oil a day for a few months.

      0 0Rating: 0

      Imagine

      Mar 28, 2015 at 3:39pm

      If this much money can be raised in such a short time for one person to try a procedure that has a low chance of working, imagine how much could be raised for the poor and homeless in Vancouver. But we all know it will never happen.

      0 0Rating: 0

      Puzzled

      Mar 28, 2015 at 5:02pm

      Who would down vote a comment about a fundraising comedy show?

      0 0Rating: 0

      JessDub

      Mar 29, 2015 at 10:33am

      @ Imagine: This procedure actually has a high potential for success--it has had a success are of 90 percent in some early trials and has been designated by the FDA as a breakthrough treatment. Read the full article.

      0 0Rating: 0