Family of man with rare cancer hoping for ‘Christmas miracle’

Tamara Bull was out running errands in her hometown of Tillsonburg when two strangers waiting in line at a walk-in clinic told her they’re praying for her family.

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And an automotive business in the town southeast of London has pledged to donate a portion of the proceeds from undercoatings to a fundraiser for Bull’s son, Nathan, 28, who was recently diagnosed with a rare and potentially deadly type of cancer.

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The support from the local business and the kind weekend words from the strangers are just a few of the many ways people in Bull’s community are rallying around the family as they desperately seek treatment for Nathan.

“We’re completely overwhelmed by the support of community, family and friends,” Bull said. “It’s just gone beyond anything I could have imagined. A week ago I was crushed. There was just no way I could almost even cope.”

Doctors first detected cancer last month while operating on Nathan, who has crohn’s disease, and soon determined that it was grade 3 dedifferentiated liposarcoma, an aggressive form of cancer that has a five-year survival rate of less than 50 per cent.

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But Nathan, who has a tumor on his pelvis that too large to be surgically removed, was told he’d have to wait at least three weeks before beginning radiation, a treatment doctors concede is unlikely to shrink the fast-growing tumor.

Now the family is hoping to get Nathan treatment in the United States, where a new surgery for his rare form of cancer is offered. They’ve launched an online fundraiser to help cover the expensive procedure.

Nathan’s wife of five years, Courtney, started the fundraiser that quickly surpassed her initial collection goal of $25,000 – a fraction of the cost for the treatment – ​​and now sits more than $35,000.

The family has obtained the necessary paperwork to travel to the United States for a consultation at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, and also has another consultation booked for this week at the Princess Margaret Cancer Center in Toronto.

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“I would love to see treatment anywhere happen as soon as possible in hopes that they could shrink the tumor and get it out of him,” Bull said.

Nathan’s three siblings, Brenden, 32, Dylan, 26, and Jasmine, 24, are working around the clock with their parents to research treatment options, arrange appointments, source medical supplies and promote the fundraiser.

“We’re in the middle of a command center here,” Bull said of the all-hands-on-deck approach. “We’re a super tight-knit family.”

Brenden also created a Facebook page, .Save Nathanto provide updates on his brother’s ordeal.

Nathan’s diagnosis came just months after he and his wife moved into their own place in Bothwell following four years spent living with his parents to pay off student debt and save money for their future.

“They wanted to buy a house, start a family and now this has all hit,” Bull said.

For the Bull family, the outpouring of support from everyone has given them hope during their most difficult days.

“Our family is so very, very grateful. Truly we are,” Bull said. “We’re looking for a Christmas miracle right now.”

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