Susan de Klein Starts Crowd Funding for Cancer Treatment

Dressage

The Netherlands

Dutch Grand Prix rider Susan de Klein has started a crowd-funding campaign for her treatment for bile duct cancer in Germany.

During her time as assistant trainer for German horse dealer Dirk Haese, De Klein competed for the Dutch Antilles. She represented her country as an individual at the 2006 World Equestrian Games in Aachen (on Special) and at the 2010 World Equestrian Games in Lexington (on Prins). In her last year as an international Grand Prix rider in 2012 she competed Prins and Success. Her last CDI start was in Deauville in July 2012.

De Klein left Germany and relocated back to Holland, where she took an alternative, holistic route with her dressage training, focusing also on intuition, Bach for animals, and acupuncture. She also trained and competed a new horse to national Grand Prix level, Deja Vu (by Dimaggio).

The 45-year old De Klein has now been diagnosed with bile duct-liver cancer and treatment has been stopped in The Netherlands. De Klein underwent key-hole surgery to inspect the state of the cancer, but as it had metastasized and the operation to remove the tumour did not take place.

Because she did not want to give up, yet not do chemotherapy either as the Dutch doctors onlygave her a 30-40% success rate, De Klein chose homeopathic medication from Mexico. In December she began treatment with Dr. Vogl in Frankfurt who operated on her and applied local chemo into the liver through an artery in the groin.

Susan has now started a crowd funding campaign with a target set at 70,000 euro to pay the costs for the treatment in Germany, which is not covered by her health insurance.

"I do not give up and get treatment in a foreign country Germany," she wrote on her crowd funding page. "My health insurance does not pay for that. I need the treatment in Germany to survive."

In an interview with De Hoefslag, De Klein stated "my savings are running out so I had the choice: sell my horses or my home. I get up in the morning for my horses, they help me tremendously. Also selling my house seemed no option. That is why I started the crowd funding."

De Klein's Go Fund Me campaign here.