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Bill Manners

Citizen Advocate

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Please donate to Bill Manners Cancer Fund

5 February 2025by Nicolette KudakaOrganiser

Well, I really thought we were through with this Gofundme. I meant to close this down before Christmas, but forgot about it in the holiday excitement.

Bill's last few scans appeared to be cancer free, and we thought that we had gotten through it. Unfortunately, all the scans that were done were from the neck down. Unbeknownst to us, the cancer had spread to Bill's brain.

On Saturday night (February 1st), we were enjoying a quiet evening at home. I was on my computer and Bill was watching TV. Bill made a comment about something on his TV show, and I couldn't understand what he was saying. So I turned around and asked him to repeat it. His words came out all garbled. After several attempts to speak, where nothing came out right, Bill was getting upset, and I was getting frightened. I thought he might be having a stroke. I called 911, and the Fire Department showed up minutes later, closely followed by an ambulance. They tried to speak to Bill with the same results that I had gotten, so they made the call to take him to the hospital.

I followed a short time later in a taxi. After being told to wait by the front doors of emergency for nearly an hour, I could see Bill on a gurney in the hallway on the other side of the desk. So I ignored them telling me to stay put and I went to Bill. I got there in time to get the results of the brain scans from the doctor. She told me that Bill has two masses on either side of his brain, which were causing his brain to swell, bringing on his garbled speech.

During the night, Bill was violently ill, throwing up our dinner and his dentures in the process. The top denture was found by a care aide, who helped clean him up, but his bottom denture has not been found as yet, so we're assuming that's gone.

Bill was released yesterday, February 4th. He has a long road to go. The doctors have ordered him off work from his Amazon delivery job, and he is unable to drive, in case of seizures. We're waiting for the oncologists to review his treatment options and let us know the best plan forward. He has new medications to help keep the swelling in his brain down, and is now on insulin because the new meds raise his blood sugars dangerously high.

He's in good spirits, but we're understandably worried as the rug has been yanked out from under us yet again. Because of my problems with arthritis, both osteo and rheumatoid, and diabetes, I haven't been able to work for the past few years, so Bill was our only income earner.

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If you can help out out again financially, we would be ever so grateful. Even if you can't, say a little prayer for us, or ask the universe to be kind, and that would be appreciated so much too!

Love,
Niki and Bill

November 2023

Hi, we're Bill and Niki, and we've had a really rough year where we've each gotten a devastating, life-altering medial diagnosis. Niki with an agressive form of rheumatoid arthritis that's left her struggling with daily tasks and unable to work. And now Bill with stage 4 lung cancer.
 
The usual RA medications caused some dangerous side effects for Niki, and the meds that are currently working are extremely expensive. Unfortunately we haven't had full coverage on them, which has been a financial drain on the both of us.
 
With Niki unable to work, Bill has been the sole breadwinner. But last July, he had a bad fall off a truck and was taken to hospital. Scans showed 4 broken ribs, and a spot on his lung. Initially the doctors thought it was a stage 1 cancer that would be easily curable with an operation in September. But the cancer turned out to be larger than expected, which required them to remove more of Bill's lung than initially planned. And it had spread within the chest cavity. Still, doctors were confident that radiation would take care of the remainder. But the most recent tests have shown the cancer has spread even farther, making it stage 4. In the space of 2 months, we've gone from where we thought the cancer was 100% curable to less than 15%. We're feeling sucker punched in the gut by the universe right now.
 
WorkSafeBC covered most of Bill's income while we were waiting for Bill's ribs to heal and expected him to go back to work. But this latest news changes everything. Medical EI (if Bill worked enough hours to qualify) will cover a much lower percentage of income. We need some time to catch our breaths and process our new reality. In the meantime, rent and utilities need to be paid, we need meds and groceries, and transportation costs to Victoria and back for both of us for doctor's appointments and treatment. If you are able to help us out a teensy bit, we would appreciate it ever so much. Thank you. cancer@billmanners.com

 
 

You can have everything in life you want, if you will just help other people get what they want. • Zig Ziglar

BILL MANNERS 2024

I have lived in Nanaimo for almost 55 years and have always been interested in the political arena in and around Nanaimo.  For more details on my background and interests check out my ABOUT page.   

I am a President and Spokesperson for the Dover Community Association.  We have became a registered society and had our first Annual General Meeting April 2024.  Our next AGM will be April 2025.  Let us know how we can help you.  Check out the DOVER link.

As an avid photographer, I have uploaded some of my PHOTOS.  In 2017, Nanaimo City Council wanted to build a multiplex or EVENT CENTRE. I was opposed to the Event Centre and co-founded the NOVOTE2017 Society.  Some of the information about the NOVOTE2017 and the success of the referendum with 80.4% opposed is here. 




If you have any comments or questions you can CONTACT me.