In September the Gift of Life Cancer Treatment Foundation Supported 15 People’s Fights for Their Lives and Started a Debate with the State
In September, nearly
115,000 euros was donated to the Gift of Life cancer treatment foundation.The
foundation council approved of the funding of the treatment of 15 people, seven
of whom are receiving the foundation’s support for the first time, and the
successful treatment of the rest of the people has being going on for a while.
All in all the foundation covered more than 33,000 euros worth of medical
bills.
The need for help is still high. There are many applications, but there are also many benefactors and beneficiaries.
A gift of hope and a chance
For example, a 43-year old family man from Tallinn is suffering from lung cancer. His three-month treatment costs more than 17,000 euros, a quarter of which he contributes himself and the rest is covered by the foundation.
A 51-year old man is suffering from nasopharyngeal cancer. His three-month treatment costs more than 18,000 euros, a third of which he contributes himself.
A 49-year old mother from Tartu is suffering from bowel cancer. Her three-month treatment costs more than 7000 euros, a quarter of which she contributes herself and the rest is covered by the foundation.
A 71-year old mother and grandmother from Läänemaa is fighting bowel cancer and her two-month treatments costs nearly 4000 euros.
Her son writes:
"Before her terrible disease, my mother was an exemplary grandmother for her three grandchildren. They went through plenty of books and played many games – she fulfilled all of her grandchildren’s wishes. For the children’s delight, their granny spent all school holidays with us and sometimes even weekends. Before the disease a half-day bus ride was tiresome for her, but she knew how much the kids were waiting for her and still undertook the trip, setting off from Haapsalu in the early morning and arriving in Võru in the afternoon. Now we sadly meet only a few times a year.
We truly hope the foundation’s support proves nothing short of a miracle and our grandmother will be cured of the disease that has ravaged her so terribly."
In September the foundation continued its third year of supporting a 68-year old Tallinn gentleman’s fight with leukaemia. His three-month treatment costs 12,000 euros.
He writes:
"I still have to admit – I am the gift of life! But what worries me is what will become of me next, as I still have to administer my medications. But it’s not on the Health Insurance Fund’s list of discount medications, thus its cost is outrageous for regular people. My only hope for surviving and thriving lies with the Gift of Life cancer treatment foundation.
I have kept the true nature of my chronic illness hidden from my family and friends, so as to not burden them. I’m deeply grateful for the foundation’s benefactors and my belief in good people cannot be described!"
A 62-year old lady from Pärnu is going through nearly 14,000 euros’ worth of kidney cancer treatment with the foundation’s support. She first received our aid in July.
Her life changed in spring of last year when she was taken to Pärnu Hospital and then to Tallinn with an ambulance due to a severe nosebleed. After thorough testing she was diagnosed with stage four kidney cancer with several metastases.
"I’d never had kidney problems before. The news was terrible. I just couldn’t believe it. Then the treatment began – nose surgery, radiation, kidney removal, capsules and pills. After all this I felt good, until May this year, when my treating physician told me that while the metastases were receding, there was a new site. Sadly the Health Insurance Fund was unwilling to pay for further treatment.
At this point I felt that my family and I had been left alone with this terrible problem. I became unresponsive for several days. Thanks to support from my family and friends I managed to see clearly again. Dr Peeter Padrik gave me new hope and the support from the Gift of Life foundation keeps it alive," she wrote in July.
But in September she added:
"Your help is priceless. After the first six rounds of treatment both my health and well-being have significantly improved. Once again I enjoy life among my family, children, grandchildren and friends. The Gift of Life cancer treatment foundation, its volunteers and all the kind-hearted benefactors have my sincere gratitude.
As I’m writing this I have tears in my eyes, but they are not tears of pain, but of joy. Thank you for being there for us!"
Family man Alar – a shining example of a gift of life
We were especially glad for Alar Tupp, a family man from Mustvee, who has ‘built several extra floors’ on his life.
We supported Alar’s melanoma treatment in spring 2015 with an astounding sum – over 100,000 euros. The foundation was still very young back then and our budget was low, but we really wanted to help Alar and his family, whom the state had considered not sufficiently ‘cost-effective’. Luckily, there were kind benefactors willing to help.
Alar recently went to a doctor for analyses and lacked ‘the signs of a disease’!
He lives his life to the fullest, goes to work, loves his wife, cares about his daughter and enjoys life.
Find out more here
Charitable football games
We collected donations in several places in September, such as at the Baltic Station Market’s Night Market event and during Buduaar’s markets. But it’s especially worth mentioning that on 15 September a charity football game was held in Pärnu, where the sponsor made a donation for cancer patients for every visitor and where we held a charitable auction, where Ragnar Klavan’s FC Liverpool shirt found a new owner.
Find out more here.
We also participated in the Pink Football family event at the Sepa Stadium in Tartu, the summary of which can be read here.
The Gift of Life – the most reputable charity in Estonia
On 15 September, the Kantar Emor research agency presented a study commissioned by the SOS Children’s Village Estonia, which showed that the Gift of Life cancer treatment foundation was among the most reputable and well-known charities in Estonia. According to the study, the people of Estonia see the availability of treatment for medical conditions as the most important social problem in Estonia.
Click here for more details.
Charitable restaurants
Leib Resto ja Aed (at 31 Uus Street) and Umami (at 141 Kadaka Road) are kind-hearted restaurants, as their owners, Kristjan Peäske and Janno Lepik, decided to donate 250 euros a month for cancer patients starting in September.
Click here for further information.
Who should fund the treatment of people who are not ‘cost-effective’?
On 6 September Toivo Tänavsuu, the founder of the cancer treatment foundation, published an open letter in the Delfi online newspaper addressed to Jevgeni Ossinovski, the Estonian Minister of Health, asking why the state couldn’t take over the funding of treatments that work well and where it is clear that people have increased their life by several years or have even fully recovered.
Out of nearly 160 people who have been helped by the foundation, at least a third have benefited significantly from the treatment, which means they have gained one or more extra years. 5-6 people have even been confirmed cured.
Read the letter here.
The Minister replied a month later, stressing that Estonia is a poor country and sees additional financing of the Health Insurance Fund as the only possible solution to the issue of the availability of cancer treatment medications.
Read the Minister’s reply here.
Mr Tänavsuu and Mr Ossinovski still agreed to meet in the near future and discuss the possible solutions with Rain Laane, the new head of the Health Insurance Fund. We will hear about these developments in the future.
Entrepreneur, ‘buy’ your Christmas gifts and cards this year from the cancer treatment foundation!
The Gift of Life cancer treatment foundation recommends that companies give up making boring and useless gifts to their clients, partners and employees this Christmas and instead make a donation for cancer patients. This year the companies can also purchase charity Christmas cards and boxes of waffles from the cancer treatment foundation.
Click here for further information.
Want to support cancer patients with the gift of life?
On our website you use bank links to become a regular benefactor within seconds.
Click here for bank details.
You can sign up for our newsletter via info@kingitudelu.ee.
The need for help is still high. There are many applications, but there are also many benefactors and beneficiaries.
A gift of hope and a chance
For example, a 43-year old family man from Tallinn is suffering from lung cancer. His three-month treatment costs more than 17,000 euros, a quarter of which he contributes himself and the rest is covered by the foundation.
A 51-year old man is suffering from nasopharyngeal cancer. His three-month treatment costs more than 18,000 euros, a third of which he contributes himself.
A 49-year old mother from Tartu is suffering from bowel cancer. Her three-month treatment costs more than 7000 euros, a quarter of which she contributes herself and the rest is covered by the foundation.
A 71-year old mother and grandmother from Läänemaa is fighting bowel cancer and her two-month treatments costs nearly 4000 euros.
Her son writes:
"Before her terrible disease, my mother was an exemplary grandmother for her three grandchildren. They went through plenty of books and played many games – she fulfilled all of her grandchildren’s wishes. For the children’s delight, their granny spent all school holidays with us and sometimes even weekends. Before the disease a half-day bus ride was tiresome for her, but she knew how much the kids were waiting for her and still undertook the trip, setting off from Haapsalu in the early morning and arriving in Võru in the afternoon. Now we sadly meet only a few times a year.
We truly hope the foundation’s support proves nothing short of a miracle and our grandmother will be cured of the disease that has ravaged her so terribly."
In September the foundation continued its third year of supporting a 68-year old Tallinn gentleman’s fight with leukaemia. His three-month treatment costs 12,000 euros.
He writes:
"I still have to admit – I am the gift of life! But what worries me is what will become of me next, as I still have to administer my medications. But it’s not on the Health Insurance Fund’s list of discount medications, thus its cost is outrageous for regular people. My only hope for surviving and thriving lies with the Gift of Life cancer treatment foundation.
I have kept the true nature of my chronic illness hidden from my family and friends, so as to not burden them. I’m deeply grateful for the foundation’s benefactors and my belief in good people cannot be described!"
A 62-year old lady from Pärnu is going through nearly 14,000 euros’ worth of kidney cancer treatment with the foundation’s support. She first received our aid in July.
Her life changed in spring of last year when she was taken to Pärnu Hospital and then to Tallinn with an ambulance due to a severe nosebleed. After thorough testing she was diagnosed with stage four kidney cancer with several metastases.
"I’d never had kidney problems before. The news was terrible. I just couldn’t believe it. Then the treatment began – nose surgery, radiation, kidney removal, capsules and pills. After all this I felt good, until May this year, when my treating physician told me that while the metastases were receding, there was a new site. Sadly the Health Insurance Fund was unwilling to pay for further treatment.
At this point I felt that my family and I had been left alone with this terrible problem. I became unresponsive for several days. Thanks to support from my family and friends I managed to see clearly again. Dr Peeter Padrik gave me new hope and the support from the Gift of Life foundation keeps it alive," she wrote in July.
But in September she added:
"Your help is priceless. After the first six rounds of treatment both my health and well-being have significantly improved. Once again I enjoy life among my family, children, grandchildren and friends. The Gift of Life cancer treatment foundation, its volunteers and all the kind-hearted benefactors have my sincere gratitude.
As I’m writing this I have tears in my eyes, but they are not tears of pain, but of joy. Thank you for being there for us!"
Family man Alar – a shining example of a gift of life
We were especially glad for Alar Tupp, a family man from Mustvee, who has ‘built several extra floors’ on his life.
We supported Alar’s melanoma treatment in spring 2015 with an astounding sum – over 100,000 euros. The foundation was still very young back then and our budget was low, but we really wanted to help Alar and his family, whom the state had considered not sufficiently ‘cost-effective’. Luckily, there were kind benefactors willing to help.
Alar recently went to a doctor for analyses and lacked ‘the signs of a disease’!
He lives his life to the fullest, goes to work, loves his wife, cares about his daughter and enjoys life.
Find out more here
Charitable football games
We collected donations in several places in September, such as at the Baltic Station Market’s Night Market event and during Buduaar’s markets. But it’s especially worth mentioning that on 15 September a charity football game was held in Pärnu, where the sponsor made a donation for cancer patients for every visitor and where we held a charitable auction, where Ragnar Klavan’s FC Liverpool shirt found a new owner.
Find out more here.
We also participated in the Pink Football family event at the Sepa Stadium in Tartu, the summary of which can be read here.
The Gift of Life – the most reputable charity in Estonia
On 15 September, the Kantar Emor research agency presented a study commissioned by the SOS Children’s Village Estonia, which showed that the Gift of Life cancer treatment foundation was among the most reputable and well-known charities in Estonia. According to the study, the people of Estonia see the availability of treatment for medical conditions as the most important social problem in Estonia.
Click here for more details.
Charitable restaurants
Leib Resto ja Aed (at 31 Uus Street) and Umami (at 141 Kadaka Road) are kind-hearted restaurants, as their owners, Kristjan Peäske and Janno Lepik, decided to donate 250 euros a month for cancer patients starting in September.
Click here for further information.
Who should fund the treatment of people who are not ‘cost-effective’?
On 6 September Toivo Tänavsuu, the founder of the cancer treatment foundation, published an open letter in the Delfi online newspaper addressed to Jevgeni Ossinovski, the Estonian Minister of Health, asking why the state couldn’t take over the funding of treatments that work well and where it is clear that people have increased their life by several years or have even fully recovered.
Out of nearly 160 people who have been helped by the foundation, at least a third have benefited significantly from the treatment, which means they have gained one or more extra years. 5-6 people have even been confirmed cured.
Read the letter here.
The Minister replied a month later, stressing that Estonia is a poor country and sees additional financing of the Health Insurance Fund as the only possible solution to the issue of the availability of cancer treatment medications.
Read the Minister’s reply here.
Mr Tänavsuu and Mr Ossinovski still agreed to meet in the near future and discuss the possible solutions with Rain Laane, the new head of the Health Insurance Fund. We will hear about these developments in the future.
Entrepreneur, ‘buy’ your Christmas gifts and cards this year from the cancer treatment foundation!
The Gift of Life cancer treatment foundation recommends that companies give up making boring and useless gifts to their clients, partners and employees this Christmas and instead make a donation for cancer patients. This year the companies can also purchase charity Christmas cards and boxes of waffles from the cancer treatment foundation.
Click here for further information.
Want to support cancer patients with the gift of life?
On our website you use bank links to become a regular benefactor within seconds.
Click here for bank details.
You can sign up for our newsletter via info@kingitudelu.ee.
