When our friend, Lukas Oelke, was diagnosed with Osteosarcoma, a rare form of bone cancer, we soon realized that certain individuals can slip through the cracks of our public healthcare system. Allow us to explain. When an individual receives a cancer diagnosis that is deemed incurable, public resources are allocated heavily towards those with a better prognosis. This is how our friend Lukas found
himself behind red tape and stuck at the back of long waitlists. Doctors didn’t answer his phone calls and promising treatments were prioritized for others who had a better chance at full recovery. We understand why this happens. Every publicly funded institution in Canada, including our healthcare system, operates under the principle that there are limited funds to go around. Who gets what, when, where, and how is a calculated decision. Thus, Lukas found himself on the wrong end of that spreadsheet. We believe that every young person deserves more, regardless of their socioeconomic circumstances. Ask yourself: if your child received an advanced cancer diagnosis, would doing anything other than seeking the best treatments available be acceptable? This is why we exist: to help young people who were born to a family that can’t afford extensive private medical expenses. In other words, we help you get the yacht. No members of KWY receive compensation and outside of slim operating costs, every dollar received goes towards medical treatments and directly related costs. Simply put, we operate lean and mean.
