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Croatian-Australian woman seeking help to raise funds for life-saving treatment

Ivana Kasic

The story of popular Croatian-Australian film industry worker Ivana Kasic has touched many so we wanted to share it so those who are in any position to help may be able to do so… 

Doctors have told Ivana that if she does not go overseas and get the immunotherapy treatments she needs, then she most likely will not see her next birthday. 

Ivana, who is from the Melbourne suburb of Brunswick and works in the film industry in the costume and art department, was diagnosed with an aggressive breast cancer back in July 2017. Her prognosis has become most dire as her breast cancer has metastasized and is now at stage 4.  

“My doctors have urged me to let everyone know that I need help, as I am in a most desperate state. This is so damn hard for me to ask you all, but I am urgently seeking financial support to help me raise the funds I need, so that I can get treatments to save my life,” Ivana said after launching a GoFund Me campaign. 

“These past few years have been incredibly hard on my family and myself. On top of everything that I’ve been going through personally, my family has now suffered our greatest loss. My dear father Ivan, died tragically 3 months ago from severe complications whilst in hospital. My mother is suffering beyond words and is in the deepest mourning, losing the only man she loved for almost 50 years. I have no money left to even begin any treatments, as all of our savings went towards my father’s modest funeral costs,” explains Ivana. 

“Due to all of the trauma and stress of my father’s tragic death, my breast cancer has doubled in size. It has metastasized further into my lymphatic system, putting my aggressive cancer now into stage 4. My primary tumor has become massive, 7.3cm x 7.9cm x 4.2cm in diameter, and is the size of an orange I also have two smaller tumors on top of my primary one, and numerous smaller ones under my arm, causing me severe pain, pushing at the surface of my skin wanting to rupture. 

Ivana needs to urgently raise money for treatment. 

“There are two amazing hospitals, one in Malaysia and the other in Japan, where my doctors have sent many of their terminal cancer patients to, who are now in remission and are thriving and living cancer free. The immunotherapies and integrative treatments that I will need to undergo, are very expensive and will run for 8-10 weeks. They will cost upwards of $90,000.I love my family, I love my friends and I love my life beyond words and you all know how much I love working in our amazing and supportive film industry. So please, if you can , donate whatever you can afford…. I’ll be forever grateful,” Ivana said. 

You can help Ivana by making a donation on her GoFund Me page here.

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