Cane donates jersey for patient
Rugby star steps up to help fund cancer fight of a Chiefs teammate’s mum
All Black Sam Cane is auctioning off his 54th test jersey to help a 60-year-old Napier woman to fund her lifesaving cancer treatment.
Julia McNicol is battling a rare and aggressive skin cancer, and the treatment drug Keytruda that could cure her of the disease isn’t funded by the Government.
The mother of four needs $83,000 to fund 17 infusions of the drug.
Cane, who has played with Julia McNicol’s son, Sam McNicol, for the Chiefs, has already received 75 bids since the jersey was posted on Trade Me on Monday.
The leading bid was sitting at $3150 last night.
The auction was expected to close today at 8pm.
McNicol’s shocking diagnosis was discovered this year after a cut on her finger, from an accident in the kitchen, wouldn’t heal.
McNicol — who is known as Jules — underwent surgery to partially amputate her finger and a lymph node was removed from her armpit in April.
A biopsy from this operation confirmed that she had stage three acral melanoma.
The medical advice McNicol received was for her to start a 12-month treatment of the new cancer drug Keytruda, but she would have to fund it herself.
The treatment is fully funded by Pharmac for people with advanced stage three to four melanoma, which has spread and cannot be removed by surgery.
But for McNicol, whose cancer had not yet spread, the drug cost $69,000, and $790 would also need to be paid for each of the 17 infusions given every three weeks.
A Givealittle page has also been created for McNicol’s treatment and had raised more than $50,000by last night.
McNicol’s brother said the family had received an overwhelming response and were grateful to Cane for his support.