A former Shepparton woman is heading overseas this month to receive what she hopes will be life-saving treatment.
Jodie Montagner has stage four cancer; it is in her bones — her hip, spine and skull — and is starting to spread into her lungs.
She has had treatment in Australia but said it was not working to kill the cancer cells.
She had completed low-dose immunotherapy treatment, but said her doctor did not think it worked because she contracted COVID-19 during the treatment.
Ms Montagner is worried further treatment in Australia will not be enough to beat cancer for the third time.
Instead, she has chosen to head to Germany for an “alternative treatment” she has heard is having good results.
After contacting the doctors in Germany herself, Ms Montagner is hopeful of a positive prognosis.
“They said you’re treatable and curable,” she said.
“It’s a bit of an alternative treatment.”
This is the third time Ms Montagner, who spent most of her life in Shepparton but now lives in Kirra on the Gold Coast, has had cancer.
She was diagnosed with stage one breast cancer in 2003 at the age of 38.
As part of her treatment, she had a mastectomy.
Fourteen years later, at the age of 52, Ms Montagner beat stage four bone cancer after receiving treatment in Malaysia, and had been in remission since.
However, a year ago she found she could not walk properly and was starting to limp.
Scans found the cancer had returned in her hip bone, causing it to fracture.
While Ms Montagner says she is “feeling good at the moment”, she wants to get to Germany to receive treatment before she becomes too ill to fly.
The 56-year-old’s treatment will initially involve a three-week hospital stay in Bonn, where she will undergo daily non-invasive treatment — like radiation — to get rid of the cancer.
She will then transfer to a clinic in Dusseldorf to receive further treatment aimed at stopping the cancer recurring.
Among the treatment is a low dose of chemotherapy, which Ms Montagner said targeted specific areas of cancer, rather than the whole organ.
Ms Montagner remains hopeful the treatment will save her life.
However, it is not cheap, and she expects the treatment to cost at least $120,000.
With previous cancer treatments and other associated costs estimated at more than $200,000 over the years, Ms Montagner is reaching out for help this time.
“I’ve had to use all my super(annuation) already,” Ms Montagner said.
Her daughter Danielle Montagner has set up a GoFundMe page for Ms Montagner to allow her to have the treatment in Germany.
Already donations are pouring in, with more than $63,000 already raised.
Much of the money has come from Shepparton residents who knew Ms Montagner from her time here.
She is still well known in the Goulburn Valley and during her time in Shepparton she worked at Brown Sugar, Lindy’s, Campbell’s Soups and Jim Clooney Accounting, and spent 11 years at Griffiths Goodall Insurance.
“I want to thank the Shepparton community. They’ve been so supportive,” she said.
“I’ve been overwhelmed by the support of people in Shepparton.”
Ms Montagner will start treatment in Germany on January 23. She expects to be away for about six weeks.
Her partner, John Gilroy, will go with her initially, and to pick her up at the end of it.
Ms Montagner’s daughter Danielle plans to spend two weeks with her when she moves from the hospital to the clinic, to help settle her in.
To Ms Montagner, trying this treatment means everything.
“It will probably save my life,” she said.
“Stage four is not usually curable.
“I was very lucky to have it curable four or five years ago.”
* Ms Montagner’s GoFundMe page can be found at www.gofundme.com/f/949ug-support-jodie-through-cancer