A B.C. family is pleading with the provincial government to provide coverage for a drug that improves their son's life, but won't be affordable once they retire.
Abbotsford resident Sean Nurcombe was just four years old when he was diagnosed with a cancerous brain tumour. Surgery and 30 radiation treatments to his brain and spinal cord helped him beat the disease, but also damaged his pituitary gland, affecting his hormones.
"They discovered about a year and a half later that his height was dropping and he was started on human growth hormone," said mother Wendy Nurcombe, who works as a nurse.
At 28-years-old, Sean remains on a prescription for the drug, also known as somatropin. Though it's only covered under PharmaCare until age 20, Sean is covered under his parents' extended medical plan – for now.
"If we were to die tomorrow, that coverage would end immediately," Wendy said.
She has written numerous letters to the province asking them to reconsider covering the drug, to no avail.
B.C. Health Minister Mike de Jong couldn't be reached for comment Sunday, but an email from the ministry said that "while human growth hormone may be used in adults – we do not fund it because the clinical benefits are unclear."
Sean's family says he would balloon in weight if he stopped taking it, and his energy would drain. Wendy says he would no longer be able to play football or work on his art projects.
"Longer term, I think he'd have cardiac effects. He already has some cardiac damage and I don't want to play with that any further," she said.
Alberta, Saskatchewan and Ontario cover human growth hormone on a case-by-case basis, she added. The family wants a meeting with de Jong to discuss adopting a similar policy in B.C., but have so far only received written correspondence.
"It's disrespectful to me, it's disrespectful to all cancer patients," Wendy said.
With a report from CTV British Columbia's Norma Reid
