by Rhonda Massad
For the second time this year MNA for St. Rose, Jean Habel showed his support to Matthew Schreindorfer by honouring him at the National Assembly of Quebec.
Habel invited Schreindorfer and his family to Quebec city this month to hear the mention as well as set up a surprise visit with Premier of Quebec, Phillippe Couillard.
“I wanted to thank Mr. Habel, firstly, for this second member’s statement that he made in my honour. I also want to thank him for this surprise meeting with our Prime Minister and for his continued support,” Schreindorfer said.
Schreindorfer was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL), an aggressive form of blood cancer, in August of 2014, at the age of 24. Having exhausted all possible treatments here in Canada, Schreindorfer’s doctors explained his only chance would be to undergo an expensive clinical trial which is only available in the U.S.
“I want to emphasize the fighting spirit, determination and strength of Schreindorfer and his wife, who are an inspiration for us all,” Habel stated. “They have demonstrated outstanding bravery throughout the fight against this disease and I want to acknowledge that.”
Schreindorfer’s wife Katia Luciani started an urgent last hope crowdfunding campaign to raise the $800,000 it will take to get him to New York for an experimental gene therapy called CART-19. The treatment had only been tested on a handful of patients and had great success with Schreindorfer who, on September 3, received news that a biopsy of the bone marrow confirmed that cancer was no longer present.
