CBS immigrant seeking financial help during cancer treatment

By Mark Squibb

Asif Prince says when he moved to Canada from Bangladesh in 2017 to study business administration at Memorial University, a cancer diagnosis seemed unthinkable.
But in 2019, he says, symptoms of sickness appeared. In 2022, Prince says, he spent three days on oxygen after a bout with COVID, and shortly after was diagnosed with papillary thyroid cancer in 2022.
In August 2022, Prince says, he had his thyroid and affected lymph nodes removed
Despite the surgery, the cancer remained, he says, and so in December of 2022, he underwent a radioactive iodine treatment to further treat the disease.
A follow up showed that, despite the iodine treatment, the cancer had spread, says Prince.
In May of this year, he underwent a second dose of radioactive iodine, Prince says, and has a follow up with doctors in October to assess the effectiveness of this second round of iodine treatment and to decide on treatment options moving forward.
“We know it’s spreading; we know it’s bad,” says Prince. “The treatment is not going as planned. That’s all we can say for now.”
Prince says after his health made continuing his studies impossible, he moved out of residence as he was no longer technically a student, and moved to CBS in February, where he lives with a close friend.
As he is no longer enrolled at Memorial University, he cannot avail of funding programs offered to foreign students.
Prince says he is living on his savings, along with support from his family – neither of which is infinite.
Staff at Memorial University, meanwhile, have confirmed the toll that Prince’s diagnosis has taken on his ability to work and study.
Earlier this year, Prince started a GoFundMe campaign at the recommendation of family and friends.
“Treatment here is free, which is a blessing, but living here is not free,” says Prince. “And when you’re not working, you’re spending all your savings… My health got so bad I couldn’t go to school, I couldn’t go to work, so all the options I had were closing on me.”
Prince says that money donated to the GoFundMe goes towards either his living expenses or to support his young son. The boy lives with his mom, who is estranged from Prince.
Aside from the physical toll the disease has taken on his body, Prince says the circumstances have taken a great toll on his mental wellbeing, but that the kindness and support shown to him in recent months have given him a renewed hope.
“I was losing trust in humanity,” says Prince. “But then, people helped me, that I didn’t expect… people have given me hope. People have been a beacon of hope. The world is not that bad, you are not alone. People not related to you by blood, people you don’t even know, they extend their support to you, they’re willing to listen to you, they’re willing to sympathize with you, they’re willing to lend a shoulder to lean on to walk when you cannot walk. A lot of people send me encouraging words, and I’m thankful to them.”