Family rallies as northern Ont. man confronts aggressive blood cancer

A northern Ont. family is fighting for access to a $330K cancer drug combination after a husband & father's rare leukemia diagnosis. Eric Taschner reports.

A northern Ontario family is waging a determined campaign for their loved one following a devastating diagnosis of an aggressive blood cancer.

Chris Sluman, 32, of North Bay fell ill after the Christmas holidays, and on Jan. 4, doctors confirmed he has B-cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia – Philadelphia chromosome positive, a rare form of the disease in adults.

He was immediately admitted to Health Sciences North in Sudbury, where he remains, undergoing intensive chemotherapy with his wife, Hailey, and seven-year-old daughter, Briar, by his side.

“He’s had a really hard time with the chemotherapy,” said his cousin, Jamie-Lynn Sluman.

“He’s basically sleeping 21- 22 hours a day.”

Devastating diagnosis

Jamie-Lynn was devastated by the news, having always viewed Chris as a brother.

“He’s always got a big smile on his face and he goes through life in just such a joyful way,” she said, visibly upset.

The family’s search for the most effective treatment led them to Chris’s sister-in-law, Dr. Kelsey Bertrand, an oncologist at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, Tenn. She identified two drugs that offer Chris a significantly improved chance of recovery: blinatumomab and ponatinib.

“If he just got chemotherapy and a specific TKI drug, the chances that he will be in remission is about 70 per cent,” she said.

“If he gets blinatumomab and ponatinib, the chances he would be in remission is about 90 per cent.”

Cost a barrier to treatment

Both drugs are approved by Health Canada but are not publicly funded for his specific diagnosis. Chris would require five rounds of treatment,and even after price reductions from the drug companies, the cost remains approximately $330,000.

“We’re just going to keep going until we get it all,” said Jamie-Lynn.

The family has discovered that if Chris had been diagnosed with a slightly different subtype of leukemia, the drugs would be covered. They have written letters to area MPPs Graydon Smith and Vic Fedeli, the Ontario Ministry of Health and Ontario Premier Doug Ford, requesting that this loophole be addressed.

In response to inquiries, MPP Vic Fedeli told reporters the issue revolves around the approval of the drug combination.

“Our Ministry of Health is pushing along with the Canada Drug Agency to look at whether they’re able, in Canada, to accept the combination of those two drugs,” he said.

Outpouring of support

While navigating the bureaucratic challenge, the family has witnessed an outpouring of community support. The horseback riding community in Ottawa, along with the communities of North Bay and Huntsville, have rallied to Chris’s cause. A GoFundMe campaign has collected more than $118,000 to date.

Further support is coming from a sold-out community fundraiser scheduled for Feb. 21 at Gateway City Brewery, which has already raised more than $18,000. The evening will feature trivia, live music, a silent auction and a closest-to-the-hole golf competition – all dedicated to funding Chris’s treatment.

‘Shocked and overwhelmed’

“The Sluman family is blown away,” said Jamie-Lynn.

“I think that’s it’s pretty easy to say that all of us are absolutely shocked and overwhelmed with gratitude.”

Facing a long and difficult road ahead, the family said it remains steadfast in their support.

“We’re really confident that we’re going to be able to pull together,” Jamie-Lynn said.