Ottawa Family Seeks Out Of Country Cancer Treatment For Daughter

In order for Lara Reis to receive an experimental treatment to help fight an aggressive and inoperable brain tumor, the family says she must travel outside of Canada, which comes with a huge financial burden. Family time is fun time for Lara. On a warm sunny Wednesday, she and her younger brother Lucas and cousin Clarice, who is visiting from France, climb on her backyard swings to catch a breeze and some smiles too. Watching Lara play brings joy to her parents Cristian Wifels Reyes and Roberto Reyes. “She was always the laughing girl even when she was a baby,” says Roberto. “Lara is nothing short of a blessing.” Christiane says these days; she takes lots of pictures and enjoys every minute of every day. Because behind those smiles hides fear and pain. In May, Lara’s vision changed. “Lara had a squint and she looked at me and I saw her eye move inward and I freaked out,” Christiane says, adding that she immediately emailed their family doctor and got her to an optometrist. “The optometrist did a full evaluation and in the end he told me it was probably a lazy eye, but I had a feeling it was getting worse and I talked to some colleagues who are doctors and they told me to take her to CHEO.” An MRI revealed a worse-case scenario. Lara was diagnosed with an aggressive and inoperable brainstem tumor known as Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma (DIPG). “Make memories; you know we heard that so many times from our doctors,” says Roberto. “We have to spend the time we have with Lara because the prognosis is so poor. Normally, children live between nine months and a year after diagnosis.” Roberto and Christiane praise the prompt and excellent care provided by the CHEO team to Lara, who underwent six weeks of radiation therapy to stop the growth of the tumor. “He handled it bravely, he did really well during treatment,” says Christiane. “He had no significant symptoms.” Lara says that while at CHEO, people are kind and make her laugh. “They play games with me and talk to me,” she says, adding that UNO is one of her favorite games. “And I win every time.” The family says DIPG treatment in Canada is limited and they have to turn to the United States for more options. “There are studies in Canada, but they’re usually not intervention studies, they’re more observational studies,” says Roberto. “All the new tests that could give some hope of a better quality of life or prolonging life, not talking about a cure, are only available in the United States. “Our provincial plan doesn’t cover this, so we have to pay out of pocket and we’ve heard studies can cost anywhere from $150,000 to $1,000,000.” An expense Christiane and Roberto can’t afford to pay, but they can’t afford to fire either. “Canada has so many resources, it’s hard to understand why we don’t have a center here that is part of this study,” says Roberto. “We’ve done a lot of research on potential trials and the one we’ve decided to pursue is in New York. We’re still waiting for an opening on that trial and we heard that we might be able to enroll in September.” A GoFundMe campaign has been launched to help raise funds for the many other expenses that come with treatment abroad, including travel, accommodation and time away from work. Until the day comes when Lara can seek new treatment, making memories is what matters most to her parents and brother. “We have the Make A Wish Foundation helping us, we were granted a trip very soon,” says Christiane. “Next week we’re going to Disney World. It’s been her dream, we’ve never been to Orlando before. There are so many parks, so many things she’d like to do.” For Lara, talking about her vacation next week brings a smile to her face and she’s excited about her breakfast with a princess. “We’re going to the Magic Kingdom,” Lara says. “And they told us we’d get ice cream for breakfast.”

title: “Ottawa Family Seeks Out Of Country Cancer Treatment For Daughter Klmat” ShowToc: true date: “2022-12-09” author: “Daniel Watson”

In order for Lara Reis to receive an experimental treatment to help fight an aggressive and inoperable brain tumor, the family says she must travel outside of Canada, which comes with a huge financial burden. Family time is fun time for Lara. On a warm sunny Wednesday, she and her younger brother Lucas and cousin Clarice, who is visiting from France, climb on her backyard swings to catch a breeze and some smiles too. Watching Lara play brings joy to her parents Cristian Wifels Reyes and Roberto Reyes. “She was always the laughing girl even when she was a baby,” says Roberto. “Lara is nothing short of a blessing.” Christiane says these days; she takes lots of pictures and enjoys every minute of every day. Because behind those smiles hides fear and pain. In May, Lara’s vision changed. “Lara had a squint and she looked at me and I saw her eye move inward and I freaked out,” Christiane says, adding that she immediately emailed their family doctor and got her to an optometrist. “The optometrist did a full evaluation and in the end he told me it was probably a lazy eye, but I had a feeling it was getting worse and I talked to some colleagues who are doctors and they told me to take her to CHEO.” An MRI revealed a worse-case scenario. Lara was diagnosed with an aggressive and inoperable brainstem tumor known as Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma (DIPG). “Make memories; you know we heard that so many times from our doctors,” says Roberto. “We have to spend the time we have with Lara because the prognosis is so poor. Normally, children live between nine months and a year after diagnosis.” Roberto and Christiane praise the prompt and excellent care provided by the CHEO team to Lara, who underwent six weeks of radiation therapy to stop the growth of the tumor. “He handled it bravely, he did really well during treatment,” says Christiane. “He had no significant symptoms.” Lara says that while at CHEO, people are kind and make her laugh. “They play games with me and talk to me,” she says, adding that UNO is one of her favorite games. “And I win every time.” The family says DIPG treatment in Canada is limited and they have to turn to the United States for more options. “There are studies in Canada, but they’re usually not intervention studies, they’re more observational studies,” says Roberto. “All the new tests that could give some hope of a better quality of life or prolonging life, not talking about a cure, are only available in the United States. “Our provincial plan doesn’t cover this, so we have to pay out of pocket and we’ve heard studies can cost anywhere from $150,000 to $1,000,000.” An expense Christiane and Roberto can’t afford to pay, but they can’t afford to fire either. “Canada has so many resources, it’s hard to understand why we don’t have a center here that is part of this study,” says Roberto. “We’ve done a lot of research on potential trials and the one we’ve decided to pursue is in New York. We’re still waiting for an opening on that trial and we heard that we might be able to enroll in September.” A GoFundMe campaign has been launched to help raise funds for the many other expenses that come with treatment abroad, including travel, accommodation and time away from work. Until the day comes when Lara can seek new treatment, making memories is what matters most to her parents and brother. “We have the Make A Wish Foundation helping us, we were granted a trip very soon,” says Christiane. “Next week we’re going to Disney World. It’s been her dream, we’ve never been to Orlando before. There are so many parks, so many things she’d like to do.” For Lara, talking about her vacation next week brings a smile to her face and she’s excited about her breakfast with a princess. “We’re going to the Magic Kingdom,” Lara says. “And they told us we’d get ice cream for breakfast.”

title: “Ottawa Family Seeks Out Of Country Cancer Treatment For Daughter Klmat” ShowToc: true date: “2022-12-07” author: “Christopher Rutherford”

In order for Lara Reis to receive an experimental treatment to help fight an aggressive and inoperable brain tumor, the family says she must travel outside of Canada, which comes with a huge financial burden. Family time is fun time for Lara. On a warm sunny Wednesday, she and her younger brother Lucas and cousin Clarice, who is visiting from France, climb on her backyard swings to catch a breeze and some smiles too. Watching Lara play brings joy to her parents Cristian Wifels Reyes and Roberto Reyes. “She was always the laughing girl even when she was a baby,” says Roberto. “Lara is nothing short of a blessing.” Christiane says these days; she takes lots of pictures and enjoys every minute of every day. Because behind those smiles hides fear and pain. In May, Lara’s vision changed. “Lara had a squint and she looked at me and I saw her eye move inward and I freaked out,” Christiane says, adding that she immediately emailed their family doctor and got her to an optometrist. “The optometrist did a full evaluation and in the end he told me it was probably a lazy eye, but I had a feeling it was getting worse and I talked to some colleagues who are doctors and they told me to take her to CHEO.” An MRI revealed a worse-case scenario. Lara was diagnosed with an aggressive and inoperable brainstem tumor known as Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma (DIPG). “Make memories; you know we heard that so many times from our doctors,” says Roberto. “We have to spend the time we have with Lara because the prognosis is so poor. Normally, children live between nine months and a year after diagnosis.” Roberto and Christiane praise the prompt and excellent care provided by the CHEO team to Lara, who underwent six weeks of radiation therapy to stop the growth of the tumor. “He handled it bravely, he did really well during treatment,” says Christiane. “He had no significant symptoms.” Lara says that while at CHEO, people are kind and make her laugh. “They play games with me and talk to me,” she says, adding that UNO is one of her favorite games. “And I win every time.” The family says DIPG treatment in Canada is limited and they have to turn to the United States for more options. “There are studies in Canada, but they’re usually not intervention studies, they’re more observational studies,” says Roberto. “All the new tests that could give some hope of a better quality of life or prolonging life, not talking about a cure, are only available in the United States. “Our provincial plan doesn’t cover this, so we have to pay out of pocket and we’ve heard studies can cost anywhere from $150,000 to $1,000,000.” An expense Christiane and Roberto can’t afford to pay, but they can’t afford to fire either. “Canada has so many resources, it’s hard to understand why we don’t have a center here that is part of this study,” says Roberto. “We’ve done a lot of research on potential trials and the one we’ve decided to pursue is in New York. We’re still waiting for an opening on that trial and we heard that we might be able to enroll in September.” A GoFundMe campaign has been launched to help raise funds for the many other expenses that come with treatment abroad, including travel, accommodation and time away from work. Until the day comes when Lara can seek new treatment, making memories is what matters most to her parents and brother. “We have the Make A Wish Foundation helping us, we were granted a trip very soon,” says Christiane. “Next week we’re going to Disney World. It’s been her dream, we’ve never been to Orlando before. There are so many parks, so many things she’d like to do.” For Lara, talking about her vacation next week brings a smile to her face and she’s excited about her breakfast with a princess. “We’re going to the Magic Kingdom,” Lara says. “And they told us we’d get ice cream for breakfast.”

title: “Ottawa Family Seeks Out Of Country Cancer Treatment For Daughter Klmat” ShowToc: true date: “2022-10-25” author: “Maria Jones”

In order for Lara Reis to receive an experimental treatment to help fight an aggressive and inoperable brain tumor, the family says she must travel outside of Canada, which comes with a huge financial burden. Family time is fun time for Lara. On a warm sunny Wednesday, she and her younger brother Lucas and cousin Clarice, who is visiting from France, climb on her backyard swings to catch a breeze and some smiles too. Watching Lara play brings joy to her parents Cristian Wifels Reyes and Roberto Reyes. “She was always the laughing girl even when she was a baby,” says Roberto. “Lara is nothing short of a blessing.” Christiane says these days; she takes lots of pictures and enjoys every minute of every day. Because behind those smiles hides fear and pain. In May, Lara’s vision changed. “Lara had a squint and she looked at me and I saw her eye move inward and I freaked out,” Christiane says, adding that she immediately emailed their family doctor and got her to an optometrist. “The optometrist did a full evaluation and in the end he told me it was probably a lazy eye, but I had a feeling it was getting worse and I talked to some colleagues who are doctors and they told me to take her to CHEO.” An MRI revealed a worse-case scenario. Lara was diagnosed with an aggressive and inoperable brainstem tumor known as Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma (DIPG). “Make memories; you know we heard that so many times from our doctors,” says Roberto. “We have to spend the time we have with Lara because the prognosis is so poor. Normally, children live between nine months and a year after diagnosis.” Roberto and Christiane praise the prompt and excellent care provided by the CHEO team to Lara, who underwent six weeks of radiation therapy to stop the growth of the tumor. “He handled it bravely, he did really well during treatment,” says Christiane. “He had no significant symptoms.” Lara says that while at CHEO, people are kind and make her laugh. “They play games with me and talk to me,” she says, adding that UNO is one of her favorite games. “And I win every time.” The family says DIPG treatment in Canada is limited and they have to turn to the United States for more options. “There are studies in Canada, but they’re usually not intervention studies, they’re more observational studies,” says Roberto. “All the new tests that could give some hope of a better quality of life or prolonging life, not talking about a cure, are only available in the United States. “Our provincial plan doesn’t cover this, so we have to pay out of pocket and we’ve heard studies can cost anywhere from $150,000 to $1,000,000.” An expense Christiane and Roberto can’t afford to pay, but they can’t afford to fire either. “Canada has so many resources, it’s hard to understand why we don’t have a center here that is part of this study,” says Roberto. “We’ve done a lot of research on potential trials and the one we’ve decided to pursue is in New York. We’re still waiting for an opening on that trial and we heard that we might be able to enroll in September.” A GoFundMe campaign has been launched to help raise funds for the many other expenses that come with treatment abroad, including travel, accommodation and time away from work. Until the day comes when Lara can seek new treatment, making memories is what matters most to her parents and brother. “We have the Make A Wish Foundation helping us, we were granted a trip very soon,” says Christiane. “Next week we’re going to Disney World. It’s been her dream, we’ve never been to Orlando before. There are so many parks, so many things she’d like to do.” For Lara, talking about her vacation next week brings a smile to her face and she’s excited about her breakfast with a princess. “We’re going to the Magic Kingdom,” Lara says. “And they told us we’d get ice cream for breakfast.”

title: “Ottawa Family Seeks Out Of Country Cancer Treatment For Daughter Klmat” ShowToc: true date: “2022-12-08” author: “Juan Greaves”

In order for Lara Reis to receive an experimental treatment to help fight an aggressive and inoperable brain tumor, the family says she must travel outside of Canada, which comes with a huge financial burden. Family time is fun time for Lara. On a warm sunny Wednesday, she and her younger brother Lucas and cousin Clarice, who is visiting from France, climb on her backyard swings to catch a breeze and some smiles too. Watching Lara play brings joy to her parents Cristian Wifels Reyes and Roberto Reyes. “She was always the laughing girl even when she was a baby,” says Roberto. “Lara is nothing short of a blessing.” Christiane says these days; she takes lots of pictures and enjoys every minute of every day. Because behind those smiles hides fear and pain. In May, Lara’s vision changed. “Lara had a squint and she looked at me and I saw her eye move inward and I freaked out,” Christiane says, adding that she immediately emailed their family doctor and got her to an optometrist. “The optometrist did a full evaluation and in the end he told me it was probably a lazy eye, but I had a feeling it was getting worse and I talked to some colleagues who are doctors and they told me to take her to CHEO.” An MRI revealed a worse-case scenario. Lara was diagnosed with an aggressive and inoperable brainstem tumor known as Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma (DIPG). “Make memories; you know we heard that so many times from our doctors,” says Roberto. “We have to spend the time we have with Lara because the prognosis is so poor. Normally, children live between nine months and a year after diagnosis.” Roberto and Christiane praise the prompt and excellent care provided by the CHEO team to Lara, who underwent six weeks of radiation therapy to stop the growth of the tumor. “He handled it bravely, he did really well during treatment,” says Christiane. “He had no significant symptoms.” Lara says that while at CHEO, people are kind and make her laugh. “They play games with me and talk to me,” she says, adding that UNO is one of her favorite games. “And I win every time.” The family says DIPG treatment in Canada is limited and they have to turn to the United States for more options. “There are studies in Canada, but they’re usually not intervention studies, they’re more observational studies,” says Roberto. “All the new tests that could give some hope of a better quality of life or prolonging life, not talking about a cure, are only available in the United States. “Our provincial plan doesn’t cover this, so we have to pay out of pocket and we’ve heard studies can cost anywhere from $150,000 to $1,000,000.” An expense Christiane and Roberto can’t afford to pay, but they can’t afford to fire either. “Canada has so many resources, it’s hard to understand why we don’t have a center here that is part of this study,” says Roberto. “We’ve done a lot of research on potential trials and the one we’ve decided to pursue is in New York. We’re still waiting for an opening on that trial and we heard that we might be able to enroll in September.” A GoFundMe campaign has been launched to help raise funds for the many other expenses that come with treatment abroad, including travel, accommodation and time away from work. Until the day comes when Lara can seek new treatment, making memories is what matters most to her parents and brother. “We have the Make A Wish Foundation helping us, we were granted a trip very soon,” says Christiane. “Next week we’re going to Disney World. It’s been her dream, we’ve never been to Orlando before. There are so many parks, so many things she’d like to do.” For Lara, talking about her vacation next week brings a smile to her face and she’s excited about her breakfast with a princess. “We’re going to the Magic Kingdom,” Lara says. “And they told us we’d get ice cream for breakfast.”