Sam Cane's 54th test jersey, which he auctioned to raise money for Napier women Julia McNicol. Photo / Supplied
An All Black jersey worn by Sam Cane has sold for $4000 to help a 60-year-old Napier woman fund her life-saving cancer treatment.
Julia McNicol is battling a rare and aggressive skin cancer, and the treatment drug Keytruda that could cure her of the disease isn't funded by the Government.
The mother-of-four needs $83,000 to fund 17 infusions of the drug.
Cane's jersey sold for $4000 in an online auction at 8pm tonight. Cane has played with Julia McNicol's son, Sam McNicol for the Chiefs.
McNicol's diagnosis was made earlier this year after a cut on her finger, from an accident in the kitchen, wouldn't heal.
She underwent surgery to partially amputate her finger and a lymph node was removed from her armpit in April.
A biopsy from this operation confirmed that Jules had stage 3 Acral Melanoma.
The medical advice McNicol received was for her to commence a 12-month treatment of the new cancer drug Keytruda, but she would have to fund it herself.
The treatment was fully-funded by Pharmac for people with advanced stage 3-4 melanoma, which has spread and cannot be removed by surgery.
But for McNicol, whose cancer had not yet spread, the drug costed $69,000, and $790 would also need to be paid for each of the 17 infusions given every three weeks.
A Givealittle page has also been created for McNicol's treatment and has raised more than $53,000, as of Friday morning.
The auction closed at 8pm on Thursday night. Cane wore the jersey in his 54th test for the All Blacks.
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