By Natasha Baldin/Contributor
A GoFundMe campaign has been launched to support the family of a Victoria teen following a recent leukemia diagnosis that has saddled them with costs not covered by the province.
Colbey Goodwin, 19, is starting immediate chemotherapy at Vancouver General Hospital after being diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. She will remain in Vancouver as an outpatient for at least a year while receiving treatment.
While undergoing chemotherapy, Colbey will be unable to live on her own and will require her parents to rotate between their family home in Langford and the place they will be renting in Vancouver to care for her.
“This new reality for my parents is emotional and financial devastation,” wrote Colbey’s sister, Brooke Goodwin, on the GoFundMe page. “Maintaining another residence in Vancouver, providing 24-hour support for Colbey, and constantly travelling between Victoria and Vancouver is enough, on top of providing for my six-year-old brother, younger sister and myself.”
“This new reality for my parents is emotional and financial devastation.”
In the two days the campaign has been live, the Goodwins have raised nearly $10,000 and are hoping to reach their $150,000 goal.
“We are a family in crisis, and we humbly ask for your support so my sister can live and achieve her dreams of becoming a doctor herself,” Goodwin wrote.
The GoFundMe page can be found here.