Family struggles to access cancer treatment for 11-year-old daughter

Kristy and Dave Costa are working hard to get their 11-year-old daughter the proper treatment she needs while she battles stage 4 melanoma.

“Lacey is a funny, sarcastic girl, has a great sense of humour, loves all animals, and wanted to be a veterinarian as she grows up,” says her dad, Dave.

In December 2021, her parents’ world was turned upside down when doctors informed them that their daughter had stage 3 metastatic melanoma.

Her mother was shocked when doctors told her that Lacey had to get a partial amputation of her left hand due to a cancerous mole.

“It's devastating as a family because it's hard to believe,” her mother told CTV News London on Monday.

While navigating the medical system her parents grew frustrated with the lack of urgency and accessibility being provided to their daughter, including postponed appointments and medical treatments that they are not able to access in Canada.

In April 2022 her pain came back, and scans determined that cancer spread throughout Lacey’s body, including her bones and lungs.

The young girl received immunotherapy treatment but it did not stop the spread, according to her parents.

“Immunotherapy with the targeted therapy would roughly be about $20,000 every three weeks,” her dad adds.

They have tried to get her into clinical trials including one in the U.S., but were not able to because they were told the hospital is at full capacity.

The family is currently trying to get Lacey life-saving treatments, but gaining access to the right medication for her is another challenge.

“There are medications out there that are not available to Canadian children, which is how it was explained to us,” Kristy explains.

Lacey’s mother says they were told that there aren’t currently many options for children with metastatic melanoma, and therefore getting access to the right treatment can take time.

“Her body is not responding the way she would like it to, or the way we would like it to, so we need these possibilities to give her that,” she says.

An avid dancer, Lacey danced at the O'Neill Academy of Dance for eight years.

“She's the most special girl, she makes everyone laugh, she's just the most beautiful, loving girl,” says dance teacher Kim O'Neill.

Feeling the need to help, her teacher started a GoFundMe page.

Their goal is to raise $75,000 to help the Costa family cover medical expenses.

Lacey has recently had to put her love for dance on hold, but that didn't stop her from competing earlier this year.

“Lacey had a partial hand amputation in December and six weeks later was on a competitive dance stage and performed and danced up until the end of May,” her teacher says.

A little girl with a big heart and the will to keep going, Lacey’s parents are still holding onto hope that they will get access to the right treatment for their daughter.