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Cancer treatment Canada Francesco Colosimo holds his wearable cancer device, which he says has improved his condition, but at a significant financial cost. Large cost involved<\/p>\nA Manitoba man with an aggressive form of cancer is seeing results from a new device, but the province won\u2019t cover the $28,000 a month cost. Alex Karpa reports. <\/p>\n
When 47-year-old Francesco Colosimo suffered a seizure in early May 2025, he received devastating news: he had glioblastoma, one of the most aggressive forms of brain cancer.<\/p>\n
According to the Brain Tumour Foundation of Canada, glioblastoma is the most common primary brain tumour in men, affecting nearly five in every 100,000 people.<\/p>\n
Despite undergoing surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy, Colosimo\u2019s stage four cancer continued to worsen.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe medications and the treatment protocols were really aggressive on the brain,\u201d said Colosimo. \u201cIt was horrific.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMy language skills tanked,\u201d he said. \u201cBy late October, I was in a wheelchair which was really all I could do to move.\u201d <\/p>\n
Throughout November and December, his condition had declined so severely that doctors told him he had just three-to-six months left to live. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe got to the point where we were looking at some of the medical processes for \u2018it might be time to end this process.\u2019 It wasn\u2019t productive for my family,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n
But his wife, Shauna, refused to give up hope. After researching alternative treatments, she discovered Optune Gio, a portable, wearable device designed to slow or stop glioblastoma cancer cell division. The device received approval from Health Canada in 2022.<\/p>\n
Colosimo began using the device alongside the drug Avastin and soon noticed dramatic improvements.<\/p>\n
\u201cI started to feel better,\u201d he said. \u201cIt was a progressive evolution in how we were doing, the ability to talk, walk, be around friends, understand where we were going.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s been progressively beneficial to the point where I would say I have improved to 90 per cent.\u201d <\/p>\n
Cancer treatment Canada Francesco Colosimo holds his wearable cancer device, which he says has improved his condition, but at a significant financial cost. Large cost involved<\/p>\n
British Columbia began covering the cost of the Optune Gio device in February and remains the only province in Canada to provide funding. <\/p>\n
Colosimo lives in Manitoba, and as a result, he\u2019s been paying more than $28,000 a month to use the treatment.<\/p>\n
Shauna, a radiation therapist from Winnipeg, said they have received significant support through donations to help cover ongoing monthly costs, adding that accessing the treatment would have been extremely difficult without that financial assistance.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf it was covered, and it was given as an option for treatment in the beginning, we could\u2019ve started it right when he was diagnosed,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n
\u201cMaybe it would have changed things, maybe it would have helped to control the swelling because it developed into something that caused such terrible side effects.\u201d<\/p>\n
Shauna believes broader access to treatments like Optune Gio could dramatically improve outcomes for many families facing similar diagnoses.<\/p>\n
Shauna and Francesco are now urging the Manitoba government to help fund the device for patients in the province.<\/p>\n
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Cancer treatment Canada Francesco Colosimo poses for a picture with his children while in hospital. (Provided image) \u2018Significant, emotional strain\u2019 <\/p>\n
In a written statement, Uzoma Asagwara said the Optune Gio device is currently under review in Manitoba as a new medical technology.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese reviews are led by CancerCare Manitoba, where clinical experts assess the evidence, patient outcomes, and how treatments fit within the broader cancer care system,\u201d Asagwara said in a statement. <\/p>\n
\u201cBritish Columbia is the first and only jurisdiction covering this device. Other jurisdictions across the country, including Manitoba, are now working through similar review processes.\u201d <\/p>\n
\u201cWe remain focused on making sure Manitobans have access to safe and effective care, while continuing to carefully evaluate new and emerging treatments as evidence evolves,\u201d the statement reads in part. <\/p>\n
Angeline Webb with the Canadian Cancer Society says cancer drugs and treatment devices are essential for improving patient outcomes but says Canada\u2019s coverage creates \u201cinequities and limits access.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Canadian Cancer Society supports systems that provide equitable access to cancer drugs and treatment for all Canadians without financial hardship, regardless of where they live and where the treatment is administered,\u201d Webb, the senior manager of advocacy with the organization, said in a statement.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese expenses can add to the already overwhelming burden of a cancer experience.\u201d <\/p>\n
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Cancer treatment Canada Franceso Colosimo poses for a picture with his wife, Shauna. Hope for the future<\/p>\n
For now, Francesco is focused on taking life one day at a time.<\/p>\n
Most importantly, he says, he\u2019s grateful for the extra time he\u2019s been given with Shauna and their two children.<\/p>\n
\u201cI shouldn\u2019t even be here,\u201d he said. \u201cSo, the ability to go and talk to your friends and family and my kids, and we can spend time together and just be there, it\u2019s a win.\u201d<\/p>\n
He also hopes sharing his story will help others learn about treatment options they may not know exist.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf I can help you in any way, if my wife can help you in any way with passing on information or getting you a direction to go, we will be happy to do whatever we can,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A Manitoba man with an aggressive form of cancer is seeing results from a new device, but the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":675368,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[712,49,48,44],"class_list":["post-675367","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-canada","tag-apple-news","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/675367","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=675367"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/675367\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/675368"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=675367"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=675367"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=675367"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}