By MELISSA MEEHAN
A MACCLESFIELD man with only months to live is asking the Yarra Ranges community to get behind his push to gain access to a drug that could save his life.
In 2011, Nick Auden and his wife Amy moved the family to Denver to start a promising new job and then received two pieces of live changing news – a new baby on the way and a diagnosis of stage four melanoma.
Now the father of three has been given only months to live and his son Locky has become the face of his fight.
Mr Auden’s only hope is a promising new therapy which is still in trials in the United States of America.
But despite his best efforts, Mr Auden is too sick to take part in the PD-1 trials according to pharmaceutical companies Merck and Brystol-Myers Squibb.
While he qualified for a Merck PD-1 trial in July, the tumour in his brain grew and excluded Mr Auden from the trials.
“It’s obvious to say that it’s disappointing, I’ve got my oncologist ready to start the treatment as soon as they say yes, and the FDA is ready to approve it,” Mr Auden said.
“I understand the reasoning behind it, it’s only being trialled and it only has a 50 per cent response rate – but for me 50 per cent sounds really good.”
Currently being trialled in nine hospitals in the US, it is believed that PD-1 has the capability to outsmart the cancer and become the future of cancer treatment.
According to Mr Auden, so far the trials have been overwhelmingly positive.
“It’s exciting news for cancer treatment in the future and without it I wouldn’t have an option, but I can’t wait until it’s available to the public,” he said.
“I might not be here in 12-18 months, the doctors are saying I’ve got three to five months at the most.
“I need an outcome now.”
He said the best case scenario would be for the drug to completely cure his cancer, but the second best scenario would be the chance to live longer to see his children grow up.
Speaking to the Mail on Friday, Mr Auden fondly remembered his life in Macclesfield and surrounding towns.
“I worked at Mitre 10 in Emerald for six years as my weekend job,” he said.
“And I’m so grateful for all the support of friends back there now who are trying to get the rest of the community involved.”
Mr Auden said he hoped people power would help his push to trial the drug under compassionate grounds and that he needs as many people as possible to sign his online petition.
To support Nick go to www.savelockysdad.com
