A man with terminal cancer and his wife have launched a charity to helping people with brain tumours or other neurological conditions.
Oscar DaCosta, a lawyer, said he was inspired to act because was shocked at the lack of support available after he was diagnosed with an aggressive form of brain cancer late last year.
He said, “There are so many people here with neurological issues, be it stroke, seizures or brain tumours. There are also people with multiple sclerosis.”
But he said there were no support groups available and that he was only offered an art therapy class – which he was expected to pay for.
DaCosta even said that a friend involved with the Breast Cancer Foundation said he would be welcome to attend support sessions at the charity, but he declined because he felt it would not be appropriate to intrude on a women’s group.
DaCosta said he and his wife, Melissa, decided to set up The Grey Area, a charity devoted to people battling neurological conditions, to provide the same level of compassion and care that breast cancer patients got from the foundation.
The name was chosen to reflect the “grey matter” of the brain and the “grey area” – the gap between the support needed and that available.
He added, “It’s support, not only for the patient but the caregiver, because they go through so much.”
DaCosta, 48, was speaking as he and Melissa launched the charity on 6 Sept. with a fundraiser at the Vines to Ocean wine bar and restaurant on West Bay Road.
DaCosta said that he had already been approached by people who wanted to become members because they had children who had been diagnosed with brain cancer or had started to have seizures.
DaCosta, co-founder and vice-president of the charity, added that the aim was to provide therapy, including massage therapy, mental health support and financial planning advice.
He said that The Grey Area is recruiting a medical board and that doctors, including those who treated him, backed the couple’s plan.
He said, “We have quite a few doctors who are happy we’re doing this as well, because they see a need, too.
“It’s helping people to negotiate everything, including medications, of which there are a lot, and if they don’t have a partner that can be confusing.”
He said it is also hoped to eventually create a scholarship for young Caymanians to go abroad to study neurological science and bring that expertise back to the country.
DaCosta added that donors had already come forward to offer support and donations, and that more financial support would be welcomed.
“The more money we get, the more we can give,” he said.
DaCosta underwent gruelling brain surgery on-island last November and had about a third of his brain removed as part of his treatment.
He said he was in a position where he did not have to worry about the cost of care or living expenses.
But he highlighted, “People who are in need and don’t have full insurance, we can help them. That’s not something we can do tomorrow, but it’s part of our plan.”
He said, “One thing I have been really blessed with is the love, family and friendship.”
DaCosta said cancer is prevalent in Cayman and questions about it should be added to the census to help provide a higher level of support.
Melissa, a neurospecialist in Pilates and co-founder and president of The Grey Area, agreed that the couple had been “really lucky because we had friends, family and finances to be able to negotiate this”.
She said, “We just want other people not to feel lonely while they are going through this process.”
Melissa admitted, “It’s been a lot of work, especially because Oscar can’t do a lot of work just now.”
But she added, “There are two ways to spend my time. I can either be productive or sit and wallow in my misery. I choose to be productive.”
For more information or to donate, visit www.thegreyarea.ky, follow the group on Instagram @thegreyareaky or email [email protected].
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There is an explosion of brain tumours or other neurological conditions.
It is a tragedy that such a young man has a terminal brain tumor. Something really is not right in Cayman, it seems its environment is detrimental to health. My former co-worker had an aggressive brain tumor at 48, after only 2 years in Cayman.
It is impossible to underestimate the value of this charity for people with brain tumours or other neurological conditions. Thank you all who made this charity happen. Especially to DaCosta his wife, Melissa.
Taking an occasion, I want to bring attention to Dysautonomia that is still unrecognized and undiagnosed by many health care professionals, even though it now has it own ICD-10 codes for Disorders of the autonomic nervous system (thanks to Dysautonomia International efforts) and more people have it than MS and Parkinson combined.
These people get no help whatsoever and often dismissed by doctors to anxiety. I hope that The Grey Area charity could eventually provide an invaluable help to people with Dysautonomia.
P.S. For those who is going through hard time after being diagnosed with a terminal disease, I recommend a book by Gene O’Kelly “Chasing Daylight
How My Forthcoming Death Transformed My Life”
It’s beautiful & inspirational.
At 53 years old, he was the CEO of KPMG, married to a wonderful woman, and had a great relationship with his daughters. Then, suddenly, he learns that he has a brain tumor with three to six months left to live.