ARMADALE resident Tony Sanci hopes to either be in Germany or on his way by now for treatment he and his family hope will give him a better quality of life for a longer period.
In December, Mr Sanci was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and told that even with chemotherapy, he had just six to nine months to live.
He and his wife Sonia heard about a treatment being offered in Germany that would take 20 days rather than the six months of chemotherapy they had been offered in Australia.
They said the treatment, called hyperthermia, could possibly extend his life and would not be as harsh on his body as six months of chemotherapy would be.
With Mrs Sanci a stay-at-home mother to their nine-year-old daughter Ahlia and Mr Sanci unable to work because of his poor health, Mrs Sanci said the couple were prepared to sell their car and anything else to raise the $25,000 needed to pay for the treatment.
A good friend of the couple, Elan Hunter, started a fundraising website to raise money to help the family with bills and other expenses and hoped to raise about $1000.
When she met her target the same day, she decided to continue, and is now only about $2000 away from raising the full amount needed for the treatment.
Mr Sanci said dealing with the prospect of death had not been easy.
“Your head just goes a million miles an hour thinking about everything,” he said.
“My little girl and my wife, what’s going to happen to them when I’m gone?”
The Sancis said they had done a lot of research about the German treatment and had not found any evidence that it would not help, and they had even met a man who is cancer-free following the treatment.
Mr Sanci said he was overwhelmed by the generosity of people who had donated and hopes the treatment will give him more quality time to spend with his family.
Ms Hunter plans to continue fundraising past the $25,000 for the treatment, to provide the Sancis with help to pay bills and other living costs.