Left: Eumemmerring Primary School has thrown its support behind Hallam breast cancer sufferer Kathy Levanic, raising more than $200 for potentially life-saving treatment. Grade five students and junior school council representatives Maddison Bouchet and Lauren Carbery with Kathy Levanic.By Rebecca Fraser
STUDENTS at Eumemmerring Primary School have rallied around a mother suffering breast cancer in a bid to raise more money for potentially life-saving medication.
Kathy Levanic was diagnosed with HER-2 positive breast cancer in June, and her two children, Joey and Tayla, attend the school.
At a recent special assembly students presented the Hallam resident with more than $200 raised through a disco and free dress day.
The money will help fund the 39-year-old’s use of the drug Herceptin, which is known to significantly reduce the risk of breast cancer returning.
The drug is only available on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) to advanced HER-2 positive breast cancer sufferers, not to those with early stage cancer.
For those early stage patients, such as Ms Levanic, Herceptin comes with a price tag of between $50,000 and $70,000.
Ms Levanic started her Herceptin treatment days before Christmas and said she had successfully raised $36,000 to pay for the drug.
The 39-year-old welcomed the donation from the Eumemmerring Primary School students and said the support the school had given her children had been wonderful.
“It is just gorgeous that they have done this,” she said.
“The children often choose charities such as the guide dogs, but this time they said they wanted to give the money to Joey’s mum.
“Another one of Joey’s friends gave him a teddy bear and fan to take home for me.
“Everyone has been great and the support has been wonderful,” she said.
Joey will attend Eumemmerring Secondary College’s Endeavour Hills campus this year, and Ms Levanic said she was grateful for the primary school’s support.
“The school has been great and really fantastic,” she said.
“The kids are both coping really well.
“Joey is older so he understands things a bit more but they are still good.”
Eumemmerring Primary School principal Wayne Macdonald said students and the school were keen to support the Levanic children as best as they could, and the students had wanted to put the money towards buying the drugs Ms Levanic needed.
As reported in the News on 8 December, Ms Levanic urged Casey residents to support a petition that called on the Government to fast-track the drug on to the PBS for early-stage HER-2 positive patients.
Ms Levanic said she had cancer in nine lymph nodes and had 15 removed.
She underwent surgery on 30 December to remove an abnormal cell from her breast.
Ms Levanic needs to take Herceptin every three weeks and will require 18 doses at a cost of $3800 a treatment.
Roche, the company that produce the drug, has offered early stage breast cancer sufferers three free doses of the drug, reducing the total treatment by about $10,000.
Anyone wanting to make a donation of money toward Ms Levanic’s treatment can send money to PO Box 1169, Dandenong, 3175, or donate at any Westpac branch to the Kathleen Levanic Herceptin Appeal.
