Katia Luciani, BComm 11, and Matthew Schreindorfer, BEng 12
Soon after, though, their fairy tale took a dreadful, unforeseen turn.
In August, just three weeks after the wedding, Schreindorfer began to suffer from flu-like symptoms, which steadily grew worse. Doctors eventually gave him and Luciani the awful diagnosis: Schreindorfer had acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL).
ALL is most often found in children, who have a better-than 50-50 chance of long-term survival. Adults’ chances of long-range remission are lower.
In the past few months Schreindorfer, who’s now 25, has fought a valiant battle against the disease. Regrettably, traditional treatments have failed to help so far.
His doctors have recommended that Schreindorfer pursue the CART-19 clinical trial, which is only offered in the United States. The Sloan Kettering Cancer Institute in New York City will treat him, but the cost could run as high as US$800,000.
Fortunately, Schreindorfer is not the only fighter in the family.
His wife, Luciani, has remained Schreindorfer’s greatest champion. She’s set up a fundraising campaign through YouCaring.com, reaching out to friends, family and the larger community for help. To date, the effort has raised close to 10 per cent of the goal.
As she writes on Schreindorfer’s YouCaring page, the campaign is “our urgent attempt to raise funds to save the life of our hero, Matthew Schreindorfer, in his battle against cancer.
“This trial is very promising, with a success rate of 90 per cent remissions. This is our last option, and we are urgently reaching out for everyone’s help.”
Concordians are encouraged to assist their fellow alumni in any way they can.
To help or to learn more, visit Schreindorfer’s YouCaring page or Luciani’s Facebook page.