Gina determined to live

CANCER patient Gina Bisset prepares to drive herself to Palmerston North yesterday for another treatment of Herceptin at Aorangi Hospital. 052061AD

By Dean Taylor

At 44-years-old and with four children Gina Bisset is not ready to die.

The Plunket nurse and solo mother has put her home on the line to pay for treatment that gives her a second chance because she believes she owes it to her children.

Mrs Bisset found out a year ago she had breast cancer, one of 30% of sufferers with the aggressive HER2 positive forms. Despite chemotherapy, followed by surgery, more chemotherapy then radiation therapy, Mrs Bisset was told there was a 70% chance she would die within three years.

“I thought about my children, and thought about how I felt when my mother died when I was a grown, married woman of 26, and decided I needed to live,” she says.

Mrs Bisset investigated a treatment called Herceptin, which had been trialled and shown to be highly successful at treating HER2. Unfortunately she found the drug was not available under our health system until it is basically ‘too late’ for the patient.

Mrs Bisset wanted to improve her chances of living, so she decided to go private at a cost of $105,000.

She is receiving the treatment every three weeks for a year through Palmerston North’s private Aorangi Hospital. She often drives down on the Monday, has the half-an-hour treatment, then drives home. Sometimes she flies, and plans to do so more often now that there is the direct flight from Hamilton back on service.

The drug now gives her a 65% chance of living, and even if it just doubles her life expectancy, Mrs Bisset says that gives her hope that a cure may be developed in the interim.

She says the drug also has little or no side effects, and doesn’t make you sick while undergoing the course. In contrast, like many undergoing chemotherapy, Mrs Bisset was too ill to work, and at times felt just getting out of bed was beyond her.

Mrs Bisset is annoyed the drug is not available via the public health system, saying all the evidence shows it works and provides a better quality of life. She is also annoyed that she has to have her drug imported and pay her oncologist to work privately, but the Government is still charging her $13,000 GST.

She plans to subdivide a piece of land off her section and sell her house to fund the treatment.

Mrs Bisset knows that now that she is only back working part time, and has cancer, she is not likely to be able to get a mortgage to build again, but is hopeful there will be a way in the future to have her own home again.

She says throughout the ordeal her two teenage daughters at home, and two older boys living in Whangarei near her exhusband have been marvellous.

Friends, colleagues and The Church at Te Awamutu have all rallied to support and assist Mrs Bisset and her family.

Oncology nurse Cathy Mc-Bride - an old friend of Mrs Bisset’s from nursing school - has taken the process a step further and organised a public appeal and fundraising concert. The concert is planned for Te Awamutu Memorial Park on Sunday, March 26. People wishing to make a donation can deposit it to The Georgina Fund at any Westpac Bank branch. To assist with, or perform at the concert, or help in any other way, contact Mrs McBride (027 4047232).