Help Nico with Cancer treatment costs Campaign

Please help my 61 year old Dad with Cancer treatment costs.

They say a story sells...  Well, herewith my sales pitch:

How do you write a story about someone who is painfully stubborn and proud?  Trying to monetise their pain just to ask others to give?  It hurts knowing that somehow you betray their character, just by asking for help.  Acknowledging that you can't fix it all yourself, because treatment is stupid expensive.

Monocytic Leukaemia.  It's a mouthful.  It's scary.  It's humbling.

Fear-inducing words you pray to never hear about a loved one.

After the floodgates of tears, hugs, tissues, salt-stained shoulders and Googling until we're blue in the face, my dad has a diagnosis that explains the last couple of years of constant lethargy.

Apparently this giant of a human has not "just been a lazy old grumpy fart".  He's been sick with cancer.  And just like many of his generation - too proud to go to the doctor, he'd been progressively getting worse every day, until he was all but bed-ridden with an incessant chest infection.  Bloodwork revealed his "blast cells", and he was referred to an Oncologist, who sent him for more bloodwork, and ultimately a lumbar punch that confirm his diagnosis.

The bad news is that it's an aggressive Leukaemia.  

The good news is that it's treatable.  Chemo until remission, and then a Bone Marrow transplant to keep him in remission.

The other bad news is that my parent's medical aid only covers R250 000 from the Oncology benefit - this sounds like a lot, but the treatment is burning through it faster than his body can recover.  In an effort to get the money to last, he had opted to get Chemo while home instead of being admitted to hospital.  

My parents live a modest life; hardly ever going to restaurants, my dad servicing the cars himself, refusing to buy anything new, and password sharing wherever possible.

My 60 year old mom (Denise Lombaard) is the only one earning an income at the moment.  My dad hasn't worked for the last couple of years, and in order to survive, they've had to cash in his retirement plan early.  My Dad even asked the doctor if it was worth spending all that money to try and keep him alive.  

Despite how he feels about it, he still has a lot of life in him.  He is a husband. A father of 2.  Grandfather to 4 little ones (all under 10).

He is an immensely proud man and would rather opt for no treatment than feel like a burden to his family.  

At the moment money is a concern. He is making choices based on finances, and not with his health at front of mind.  He argues with the doctor to only give him 1 session of platelets instead of 2.  He is trying to stretch the money as far as it can go, and this is most likely not the best course of action.

He is currently being treated by Dr. Brittain at Netcare Pretoria East hospital.  Any monies donated will be used towards paying for the mountain of tests (which aren't covered by the medical aid), Emergency room visits, medication, etc.

Help.  Help if you can.  Help give my mom a chance to breath, help me and my brother be there in ways we can't right now.  Help the grandkids have some more "Oupa Glam" time.

And help my dad see that people actually care about him.

For those that donate:  I thank you for giving us some hope in this world where it’s easy to feel deeply alone and scared.  

 For the others:  I thank you for spending the time reading and considering it.  I know times are hard and it's not possible to give everywhere.