Family aims to raise $350,000 for teen son
Campbell River student requires treatment in Europe for rare cancer that attacks brain stem
Instead of enjoying his first year at the University of Victoria, a Campbell River teen needs to travel to Europe several times in the coming months for treatment of a rare and aggressive cancer, a treatment not available in Canada.
The family of 18-year-old Jonah Shankar is hoping to raise at least $350,000 and is so far $30,000 shy of that goal.
“What we have done is ask solely for the amount to get us through the first eight months of treatment, the first leg of the journey,” Sophia Shankar, Jonah’s aunt, said. “We are absolutely blown away with the support we’ve received.”
Jonah was one week from joining his high school classmates and friends at grad this year when he suddenly experienced severe headaches, loss of balance and numbness. He was in pain, and had trouble swallowing, talking and walking.
Doctors discovered an inoperable, life-threatening glioma tumour invading his brain stem. It’s a rare cancer that mostly strikes people under 20.
Jonah, who had been accepted to the software engineering program at UVic, watched his friends graduate from a hospital bed via video, dressed in his grad vest and bow tie.
His parents, Cleon and Charlotte Shankar, were together for 10 years before Jonah, their first child, was born in 2000. Their second son, Marcus, was born three years later, and the family set off pursuing passions of hiking, climbing and sports.
Jonah excelled in high school sports with the Carihi Tyees, playing soccer, track, volleyball, basketball and running cross-country.
“He’s an incredible athlete,” Sophia said. “He’s also really strong academically, a brilliant all-around student. I think the biggest disappointment in all of this for him is he really, really was excited about UVic.”
During his treatment Jonah has been taking courses online so he doesn’t fall too far behind, Sophia said.
“Instead of beaming with pride as their bright, athletic and hardworking son accepted his diploma, Cleon and Charlotte watched with devastation as Jonah endured a brain biopsy and six weeks of chemotherapy and radiation,” Sophia said on the gofundme page. “Instead of bringing him to university to start his adult life, they must bring him to the other side of the world to try and save his life.”
In Europe, Jonah will get chemotherapy via Convection Enhanced Delivery (CED) at the Harley Street Clinic in London, a private hospital that specializes in cancer and neurosciences.
Between chemo infusions, Jonah will travel to Germany to a clinic in Cologne known for its leading-edge immunotherapy.
He will have to travel to Europe several times over the next eight months. The Shankars hope $350,000 will cover travel and the medical costs of a multi-faceted attack, which includes implanting the CED system (to inject drugs directly into the tumour), chemo and immunotherapy, medications and supplements, and diagnostic scans.
“The story is so much more than Jonah and his ailment,” Sophia said. “It’s been such an amazing story about this community, how it’s come forward. This ultimately is helping other people who also are diagnosed with this. It is a very new treatment and they learn a lot every time they do it.
“So beyond helping Jonah, the knowledge may grow and help future families. It’s a positive outcome of something so tragic, we feel so much positive energy coming from it.”
It’s been such an amazing story about this community, how it’s come forward.”
Jonah Shankar’s aunt, Sophia Shankar