Tag: Bo Cooper

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Ft Mac Health U.S.

Experimental Therapy Helps Bo Cooper Send Leukemia Into Remission

Bo Cooper has sent his leukemia into remission with the help of an experimental therapy that the Fort McMurray firefighter is receiving in the USA. The remission was diagnosed close to 1 month after Bo received a second round of the new and controversial therapy. On April 20 Cooper’s family received the news that Bo’s bone marrow sample showed that there is less than .01% of the leukemia still in his system. Rob Cooper, Bo’ s dad, told the media in an email that “This is a great victory for us all, but Bo’s fight is not over yet. The future lies in how the cells continue to perform. There is also a real possibility of a difficult second Bone Marrow transplant for Bo. The next few months will tell us more.”

The experimental therapy that Bo Cooper is receiving is called CAR T-cell immunotherapy, and the firefighter must travel to Bethesda, Maryland to receive treatment from the National Institute of Health in order to take part in the trials. When Bo received the first round of therapy in January the Fort McMurray resident has an infection, and this caused interference with the t-cells used in the treatment because of the medications used to treat the infection. Irish Cooper, Bo’s wife and best friend, explained that “As his health was progressing, we were feeling more confident that the second infusion of Car T cells were doing their job. We all know how incredibly strong Bo is. He is very determined to win this battle.”

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Economic Ft Mac Health

Bo Cooper has Opportunity to Take Part in CAR T-Cell Experimental Therapy in U.S.A.

Bo Cooper, a Fort McMurray firefighter who is battling cancer, has an opportunity to take part in Car T-Cell experimental therapy thanks to social media fundraising and Bo’s acceptance for consideration in the Car T-Cell experimental therapy offered by the National Institute of Health Clincal Centre in Maryland. According to a recent Facebook post by the family doctors at the centre have agreed to consider Bo for the therapy. Fort McMurray Fire Department captain and Cooper family spokesman Rob Van Hecke explained the process and said “Today they started taking out the cells that are required to be taken out, but they (still) have to see that they’re going to respond properly. And that takes at least a week before they’ll know for sure that he’s 100% a candidate. There is some caution with this right now.”

Bo Cooper and his family have been hoping that he could participate in Car T-Cell experimental therapy because of the promise that this therapy can hold, however social media fundraising was necessary to help cover costs because Health Canada has not approved these treatments yet in spite of some early signs that the therapy can be successful. According to Timothy Wilson, the spokesperson for Alberta Health, “At this time, (CAR T-cell) treatment is still experimental. It is not approved by Health Canada and there is not enough available evidence showing the treatment is safe or effective. As more evidence is gathered, we will review this treatment and other new treatments emerging.” This could come too late for Bo Cooper though, and the family has raised around $600,000 through social media fundraising to help cover the treatment costs as well as related expenses.

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Economic Ft Mac Health

Fort McMurray Resident Bo Cooper Fights Leukemia, Community Pitches in to Help

Fort McMurray, Bo Cooper

Fort McMurray resident Bo Cooper is known by many in the community. As a local firefighter and a promising MMA fighter the 26 year old has battled many things in his life but now he is facing one of his toughest fights ever, a battle against leukemia. The brave young man has already beaten leukemia before, and he is fighting the disease for the third time. Cooper first won against acute lymphoblastic leukemia in 2011 but the disease returned. Since Bo has already received all the chemotherapy that he can have in his entire lifetime there are very few other treatment options to choose from that cold make the difference in how his battle turns out. One option, CAR T-Cell drugs, show great promise but there is a catch. Right now the government does not cover these drugs and Cooper would need to travel to the USA for his treatment.

Bo Cooper can not afford to receive the Car T-Cell drugs that could save his life, and the Fort McMurray community has rallied to try and help out. Each dose of these drugs can cost as much as $60,000. Cooper may need up to 10 doses, with a total cost just for the drugs expected to run about $600,000. Without this treatment option Bo may not be able to win this latest fight. According to Fort McMurray Fire Department Captain Rob Van Hecke “It’s not cheap. It’s nothing health care covers yet. But with a 90% success rate, it’s worth trying.” Hecke started an online fund raising campaign last month to raise money for Cooper, and over $100,000 has been raised in just a few weeks from this fund raising effort and other community events. How can you help out?