'We couldn't give up': Quebec family spending last moments together after 22-year-old's trial cancer therapy fails
After months spent in Texas undergoing experimental cancer treatment, 22-year-old Maria Muscari was airlifted back to Montreal Saturday.
But it wasn't the happy homecoming her family had hoped for.
According to her mother, Elsa Moraitis, the trial 'natural killer (NK) cell' therapy Muscari received in Houston was unsuccessful. By round two of the treatment, she was too sick to continue.
"The trial doctor and all the doctors at MD Anderson told us there's nothing more they can do for Maria," Moraitis told CTV News Sunday. "Basically, it's end of life for Maria."
With Muscari now back in Montreal under palliative care, her family is bracing for the worst -- all the while shouldering a $700,000 bill.
Maria Muscari was airlifted from Houston, TX to Montreal after her experimental cancer treatment failed. (Courtesy image)
The family crowdsourced hundreds of thousands of dollars through an online fundraiser, but expenses piled up after Muscari was placed in intensive care.
For cousin Katerina Moraitis, it's a truth that feels impossible to swallow, especially as her loved one approaches the end.
"We promised her that if we got her to Texas, she'd get the treatment and everything would be ok, that she would get better. And now we're here," she said.
"Not only are we gonna probably go through a huge loss and be grieving like crazy, you also have to think of the medical bill that's left behind that you have to pay. That's too much."
Maria Muscari. (Courtesy image)
The decision to sign up for experimental therapy in Texas was made as a last resort, as Muscari's cancer was unresponsive to the nine treatments she'd received on home soil.
Despite the outcome, Elsa Moraitis doesn't regret taking the leap.
"We couldn't give up. We had to do everything just to get Maria there and to say that we tried everything to save her life. So that was very important to us. And that's a promise that we made to her."
Now, it's about coming together as a family and sharing as many more moments as possible.
"You never know when is the last time you're going to be able to say goodbye," said Katerina Moraitis. "That's why I want to spend as much time with her as possible, because I don't know when that is."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
![](https://www.ctvnews.ca/polopoly_fs/1.6968646.1721316302!/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_800/image.jpg)
BREAKING High-profile Liberal minister to announce he is quitting cabinet, not running in next election: sources
Labour Minister Seamus O'Regan is set to announce as early as Thursday that he will not run in the next federal election, and will be quitting his cabinet position, multiple Liberal sources tell CTV News.
More Americans are searching online about moving to Canada. But will they come here?
In the last few weeks, there has been a surge in the number of Americans searching online about moving to Canada and recent political events appear to have been a major catalyst.
'One screen, two movies': Conflicting conspiracy theories emerge from the Trump rally shooting
A former president is wounded in a shooting, the gunman quickly neutralized, and all of it is caught on camera. But for those who don't believe their eyes, that's just the start of the story.
Federal Immigration Minister Marc Miller's office vandalized in Montreal
Federal Immigration Minister Marc Miller's office in Montreal was vandalized early Thursday morning.
B.C. woman who thought Coldplay concert 'was a date' must pay ex for ticket, tribunal rules
A B.C. woman has been ordered to repay her ex for a ticket to Coldplay's 2023 concert in Vancouver – in a small claims decision that highlights the distinction between gifts and loans under Canadian law.
6 bodies were found in a Bangkok hotel room with no signs of violence. Police think they know why
Should visitors to Thailand be concerned about their safety after six people were found dead in a locked hotel room in Bangkok?
Tail hair cut off multiple horses outside Alberton: P.E.I. RCMP
The Prince Edward Island RCMP is asking for the public’s help after three horses recently had their tails cut off.
Two listeriosis deaths in Ontario linked to plant-based milk recall: MOH
Two deaths as a result of a listeriosis outbreak linked to a plant-based milk recall are in Ontario, provincial health officials confirmed Thursday.
Mississauga, Ont., nursing home evacuated of more than 100 residents amid flooding
First responders say it took nearly 12 hours to rescue more than 100 residents from a flooded Mississauga, Ont., long-term care home after torrential rain pummelled the Greater Toronto Area on Tuesday.