The family of a man who lived on Salt Spring from 1990 to 2015 has launched a GoFundMe campaign to help pay for a drug to treat the acute myeloid leukemia he was recently diagnosed with.
Scott Hylands has started intensive chemotherapy but also needs a drug called Venclexta, which has been approved for use in Canada but the cost — which is $60,000 to $80,000 per treatment — is not covered.
“The feedback from cancer patients receiving Venclexta along with their chemo is excellent,” said Hylands’ wife Veronica. “It is primed to work for his age group.”
Hylands is a well-known professional actor who now lives in Victoria. Just this summer he presented his one-man Shakespeare-themed play called Lend Me Your Ears on Salt Spring Island.
“Salt Springers hold a place in our hearts after 25 years there,” said Veronica, in asking islanders to donate and share the GoFundMe page as widely as possible.
More information is available on the GoFundMe site.