Help Pia, help us!

Our little Pia is 7 years old, and to everyone who is honored by her presence, a bright, happy and adorable girl who has just started school. What we did not know at the time she began her education, was that she was terminally ill and suffering from a highly aggressive, malignant, and inoperable tumor on the brainstem. Currently any intervention would cause more harm than good and all standard therapies, such as radiation, would only give our first-born a little relief from the pain and discomfort, but the treatment would not save her life.

Our family is no stranger to hardships. 5 years ago Jeanina, Pia’s mother, was diagnosed with a tumor in her throat. For a new mother, and for our new family, it was a heart wrenching ordeal. Thankfully, Jeanina’s prognosis was positive once the tumor was removed, and while the recovery was painful, it was completely successful. If that was not difficult enough for a new family to endure, in January of this year, our youngest son Phil was diagnosed with a congenital heart issue at only 6 months old which required surgery to repair a hole in his heart. His successful surgery was what we thought to be the beginning of a long carefree and happy life for our family. We felt relief that we would not lose our child.

When Pia was diagnosed in September of this year, it rocked our family to its core. The first diagnosis proved devastating and almost described as almost hopeless according to German doctors. Her ordeal began when Pia spoke indistinctly and began complaining of severe headaches and left-sided paralysis, and at the height of her symptoms, she lost consciousness and collapsed. The doctors predicted our princess would have a life expectancy of 6-9 months after the first scans. A shock which has put us through our paces. It upheaved our lives and the expectations we had of a healthy and happy life which we had pictured after Phil's successful operation.

To date, Pia has undergone her first dose of radiation, and at least in terms of her paralysis, has showed some success, but this is no cure. Doctors have advised us that any intervention would cause more harm than good and that all standard therapies, such as radiation, would only give Pia little relief from the pain and discomfort, and the treatment will not save her life. We have already overcome so much in such a short time, and even though right now life is literally bringing us to our knees, we are dedicated to fight this.

Pia’s and our last hope: After a biopsy it could finally be determined that the tumor has structures/borders that are actually treatable. After extensive research, we discovered a special treatment with the drug ONC201, which destroys tumor cells, but not the normal, healthy cells. Currently, this procedure is carried out exclusively in the USA and in Switzerland. The best-case scenario of the ONC201 procedure is that the tumor will be completely eradicated. The studies have shown that this prolongs the life of cancer sufferers and gives them a better quality of life. This gives us a chance to fight longer with our daughter.

We will spare neither time nor money to give our little girl the best chance at survival give her, and as she says, "her old life back." As a family, we continue to count on unconditional love and support from our family and friends. We are now asking for the kindness and generosity of acquaintances and strangers.

The treatment is cost-intensive, as is the travel and various required consultations. This alone will be several thousand euros per month. Pia’s treatment can only be conducted in Zurich. You can help Pia achieve a longer life expectancy or A CURE by enabling us to have the time and the means for these comprehensive procedures. Just the potential success of this treatment is a glimmer of hope in the horizon for us as a family, but our insurance will not cover these expenses. This is why we ask for any help you can provide us. We are putting all attention and energy into taking care of our daughter, and every bit of help you can donate us will alleviate some financial strain allowing us to focus only on our daughter.

We admit that during this incredibly painful time full of anxiety, fear, and the overwhelming grief for “our little mouse”, we will get nowhere if not for your help and donations. This is why we struggled through this devastating pain to write about Pia’s history and her suffering to implore you for your help. Without the help of the public, the media, anonymous donors, people who have gone through the same situation, OR YOU, we cannot achieve this for our daughter.

This is why we want to count on YOU, on YOUR good heart, and on a good deed that can change so much. Please help and support us with your donation. Our donation goal is 100,000.00 euros. Every penny counts and no donation or bit of support is too small. Every donation will give us a better opportunity to provide monthly treatments which will give Pia a longer, happier, and healthier life.

AT NO POINT WILL WE GIVE UP. For as long as possible we want Pia, our “little mouse”, to be here in our world and with us. We strive to make her happy, to continue to see her beautiful smile, and to give her back a bit of the lightheartedness and happiness she has provided to her family and friends every day.
Your help would mean the world to us.