Cancer h Canadian doctors can do no more for local woman Deana Lancaster ilews Reporter dcana@nsnews.com SEDI Dashti left for France last Sunday. Bur it’s not for a peck from the top of the Eiffel fower nor a look round the Louvre that she’s visiting the city of lights. Sedi Dashti is dying from cancer, and it’s fora last chance at life that her family and friends have pooled their resources to send her to a doc- tor there, known for his “hormonic” treatments. Doctors here have given up on her. But Sedi vefuses to quit the fight. Not surprising behavior trom the slight woman, who, since arriving here in 1991, has worked as a nurse’s aide at Beacon Hill Lodge, and been actively involved in the Persian Foundation and the North Shore Multicultural Society — plan- ning cultural events, and helping newcomers to Canada adjust and learn to speak English. “I am a strong woman,” said Sedi in her Lower Lonsdale home, the week before she left. “I’m going to fight to iwe.” She was diagnosed with cancer in April fast year, after doctors spent nwo months running tests because of pain in her abdomen. One month later, surgeons removed a foot of her colun, both of her ovaries and her uterus. She began chemotherapy the same month. It seemed to be working — nwo spots on her liver began to shrink. Her second session was not as succes: two spots grew to three and doctors at U cligic in’ Vancouver prescribed — the Mitomycin for her third round. “This medicine is the most terrible [ve ever scen in my life,” said Kaywan Dashti, Sedi’s hus- band. “She suffered from depression, she wanted to kill herself.” After cight sessions, her mouth and stomach burned, she could not eat or drink, she could not sit down. Further tests showed she now had 15 spots — al. The cancer drug Close brush WEST Vancouver firefighters acted quickly Wednesday to control and douse a brush fire that threatened a home under renovation in the 4700-block of Cloverly Street. At one point the flames were just three metres from the structure. w@ on her liver, behind her liver and on her lungs. Finally, her doctor told her he could do no more, He offered morphine to help case her pain. “I said ‘Keep the morphine for yourself. P'm going to go somewhere else,” remembered Sedi, yes flashing. “I put my trust in that doctor .... my dreams ... my everything. | felt crushed, broken.” But not tor jong. The medications she is now taking are all nat- ural, and contain ingredients such as herbs and flax seed. She eats certain fruits and vegetables, which, when used in combination are believed by some to have protective qualities for the liver. Now, she’s on her feet and feeling much bet- ter, able to care for her youngest son, who's six. Her family, which also includes an 18-year-old son, has hope again. Bur that hope doesn’t come cheaply — the medications she’s taking now total $2,000 per month, the flight to France, because it’s an open- ended ticket was $2,375, and visits to the doctor Ad NEWS photo Paul McGrath L France NEWS photo Mike Wakefield SEDI and Kaywen Dashti are determined not to give up the fight for Sedi’s recovery from cancer. She is now receiving alternative treatment in France for the disease. there, nor including the costs of tests or medicine, are $300 cach. Although their friends in the community have banded together to help, the Dashtis are frustrat- nt doesn’t give a choice to the he points to the tray of her medications. “The y for medicine that makes me worse, but not this, chat makes me better.” Sedi went back to work fora short time during her chemotherapy treatments, but couldn’t keep it up. Even with notes from her doctor, her claim for Employment Insurance benefits ied. Kaywan is working at three yobs: designing for an Internet company, publishing the [ranian newspaper, and at a movie theatre. Still, it isn’t enough. But they are determined to find a way. “Because body tikes to live, we are trying to save her,” Kaywan. The Dashti’s can be contacted care of P.O. Box 37050, North Vancouver, B.C., V7N 4MO, Patient,” Lonsdale Stabbing A young man was stabbed sev- eral times in the thigh on July 17 in his friend’s car near East Ist Street and Lonsdale Avenue. The stabbing victim was among four young men who left the Bistro Waterfront night club and got into a brown 1984 Ojidsmobile Cutlass at around 2:30 a.m. According to the North Vancouver RCMP, the two men in the back seat quickly went from a verbal to physical fight. One of the combatants pulled out a knife and stabbed the other. Police say the car owner was friends with the stabbing victim. The car owner was not driving as he felt that he had drank too much. The driver stopped the car after the stabbing. The car owner and the stabbing victim got out. Police say the driver and the knife-wielder then stole the car. The car was found three days later in the 500-block of East 22nd Street, according to police. No names were released. Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call North Vancouver RCMP Const. Jordan Dupuis at 985- 1311 or Crimestoppers at 669-8477, — Anna Marie D’Angelo Boat backs up bridge TRAFFIC on the Second Narrows Bridge was backed up for more than 30 minutes on Tuesday night after a dri- ver hauling a boat lost con- trol near mid span. According to the Port Mann RCMP Highway Patrol, a Richmond man was hauling his six metre (20 feet) beat towards Vancouver at 10 p.m. when the mishap occurred. A police spokesman said the driver of the Jeep Cherokee, who was not an “experienced trailer puller,” first noticed something was wrong when the boat start- ing to travel from side to side on the road. Despite the driver slowing down, the boat trailer con- tinued to swing along until “the tail wagged the dog.” The Cherokee ended up on its side, facing the direction it came. The boat came off the trailer and swung around. The trailer was badly bent, the boat was damaged and the driver’s side of the Cherokee was also damaged. No one was injured in the incident. A preliminary investiga- tion indicated that the boat was properly fastened and not overweight for the trail- — Anna Marie D’Angele