‘I am not ready to lose my little brother’
A devastated Cork man is raising urgent life prolonging funds for his 22 year old brother who has recently been diagnosed with terminal cancer.
Just 2 years after his dad’s death from the same disease, beloved brother Garreth Junior requires vital immunotherapy treatment which costs €7,000 per dose.
Garreth’s brother Jordan has launched a GoFundMe campaign to assist in paying for urgent treatment to prolong Garreth’s life.
Garreth Blount Junior was first diagnosed with advanced oesophageal cancer in early 2022, while working as a teacher and basketball coach in Spain. He immediately underwent chemotherapy before returning to Ireland in the summer for surgery.
Given that Garreth is only 22 years old, his medical team were hopeful that the surgery to remove the carcinoma from his oesophageal gastro junction would be curative, and the hope was for a good prognosis.
However, close to 3 months post-op, Garreth’s latest scan revealed that the cancer has re-appeared in his abdomen, pelvic area, lining of his lungs, and a lot of his lymph nodes.
Without immediate treatment, his predicted life expectancy is 3-4 months. The only option that is hoped will help prolong his life to approximately 1 year, is urgent chemotherapy paired with immunotherapy.
The type of immunotherapy treatment that Garreth needs costs €7,000 per dose and is not currently funded by the Government. He needs 12 doses which brings his treatment bill alone to €84,000.
To this end, his older brother, Irish international and professional basketball and Neptune Basketball Club player Jordan Blount and a team of friends are advocating and campaigning for funding, so that Garreth can begin treatment right away.
“To say that I am devastated that my kid brother has received this diagnosis would be an understatement,” said Jordan.
He continued: “It is almost 2 years to the day that we lost our father Gary to this disease. For our dad, there was little that could be done, and the disease took him fast, which is a loss that our family are still dealing with.
“Time is against us and we need to raise funds as soon as possible so that Garreth can begin treatment and have some quality of life with what time he has left.
“This treatment could extend his 3-4 month life expectancy to a year or even past a year. We don’t know when or if Government funding might come, so it is with a heavy heart that I am setting up this fundraiser and asking for help to access potentially lifesaving treatment for my brother.
“I am extremely proud of my brother, and even more so over the last few months, with the strength he has shown despite of all the obstacles he faces. This is not his first battle with life, and Garreth is a fighter. I will do everything I can to give him the best chance of survival because he has his whole life ahead of him.
“I am in shambles, I lost my best friend - my father, only 2 years ago, and I am not ready to lose my little brother. The whole idea of this GoFundMe is to prolong his life for as long as possible and make some final lasting memories. If we can even get 1 more day than what has been given, our goal has been achieved.”
To donate or for further information on Garreth’s battle with advanced oesophageal cancer and the medical care he needs, see gofundme.com/f/prolong-garreths-life.