When Kent Allen was told he had a year to live, he was hopeless. A year simply wasn’t enough time.
According to Waikato Times, over ten years ago, Kent was diagnosed with an extremely rare genetic disorder called Von Hippel Lindau syndrome (VHL). VHL is characterized by malignant cysts and tumors that could end your life prematurely. To learn more, click here.
In 2015, the tumor had grown worse, evolving into something that would surely kill him within a year.
But there was a way to extend his life expectancy.
In Melbourne there exists the opportunity to undergo Peptide Receptor Radionuclide Therapy (PRRT), a form of therapy that would shrink the tumor and extend his life for three to five more years. This treatment did not exist in New Zealand, where Kent lived and cost $50 grand.
His small town community of Franklin united together to raise the funds for Kent’s journey to Australia. And it worked!
Treatment was underway and Kent immediately began to feel better. After his five year life expectancy, Kent has the option to shrink the tumor yet again with the same procedure and continue to extend his life.
Of the treatment, Kent remarked:
“I sat in a chair and got infused with amino acid that protects the kidneys, because it (the treatment) is like sunburn on the inside. Then I got injected for about half an hour with the nuclear stuff. Then I sat there for another four hours and they gave me steroids to protect my insides.”
With the community’s help, he was able to raise more than the $50 grand price of the procedure and used the rest of the money to take his two daughters on a vacation. He’s extremely grateful for the love and support that has given him a second chance to extend his life and spend more time with his daughters.
