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Newsday
By Cheryl Metivier
At 39 Charlene Joseph has faced battles that some people may never face in a lifetime.
Joseph is a two-time cancer survivor, and it appears that despite the old adage, lightning can strike in the same place twice, and even a third time.
In December 2024, Joseph began her third battle with cancer when she was diagnosed with myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), a rare form of cancer which results in the blood cells in the bone marrow not maturing to the point where they grow into healthy blood cells. She is in need of US$158,000 for treatment in Colombia.
Her first encounter with the disease began sometime between her 17th and 18th birthdays when she felt some discomfort and noticed that the lymph nodes at the right side of her neck were swollen. She tried home remedies and when they brought no relief, she visited the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex, from where she was referred to Port of Spain General Hospital for a biopsy.
Joseph was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma – a type of cancer that attacks the lymphatic system. She was administered a course of chemotherapy and the tumour began to shrink. But then it started growing again and Joseph stopped the treatment for approximately two years. In 2007 she resumed treatment using a different type of chemo, which was successful.
She was cancer free for seven years and was enjoying her new job as an immigration officer. In 2015, she again found swollen nodes, this time in her armpits and other areas. The tests indicated that the cancer had most likely spread to her bone marrow and her medical team, after much deliberation, proposed to administer salvage chemotherapy – a treatment used when initial chemotherapy has failed or the disease has relapsed. She went into remission after three sessions. She was given two additional doses and an autologous stem cell transplant – using a patient’s own healthy blood stem cells to replace damaged bone marrow – was recommended to further preserve her health. This procedure was undertaken in Cuba at a cost of $250,000.
In November 2024, during one of her routine biennial check-ups, her doctor observed that her blood count was lower than the ideal threshold. Until that time, Joseph had not really observed any symptoms.
“In hindsight, there may have been some feelings of dizziness and tiredness which I ascribed to work and gym workouts. I certainly didn’t connect that symptom to the cancer.”
She was subsequently diagnosed with MDS and since then she has been receiving interim treatment. Her doctor has recommended an allogeneic stem cell transplant – replacing the diseased bone marrow with healthy stem cells from a donor. This procedure that is not available in TT, and she has been referred to Fundación Santa FeDe Bogota, in Colombia.
“I am thankful for the network of medical professionals I have connected with over the last 20 years, from both the private and public sector with whom I am able to consult.
“Having access to specialists from public and private sector affords me the opportunity to be informed about as many options as possible, and to avail myself of the best care and make the most informed choices and decisions.”
But as a cancer survivor, her health profile has limited her access to insurance to cover the cost of her treatment.
“Insurance companies will not consider me an ideal client for accessing coverage.”
Joseph has been on sick leave from her job at the Immigration Division for approximately three months. Initially, she willed herself to go to work until she could push no more.
“Dealing with the pain and weakness associated with cancer, it’s my inner strength and overwhelming desire to live that continues to take me through.”
Together with her friends and relatives, she has been doing what she can to raise funds to cover the cost of the necessary life-saving procedure in Colombia, including opening a GoFundMe account in her name. In the interim, she continues to expend significant sums on her ongoing critical treatment, to adequately prepare her for the transplant in Colombia. But with each day that passes, Joseph’s condition worsens.
Anyone interested in donating, click on the link below. Donations of any sum will be welcome.
