B.C. mom appeals funding denial for son’s life-saving brain treatment
Posted June 11, 2026 7:54 am.
Last Updated June 11, 2026 8:08 am.
Natasha Hepburn describes her 9-year-old son Nathan as a vibrant and joyful soul, even when he’s faced with life-altering circumstances.
When Nathan was 5, he suffered a seizure, and his health quickly took a turn for the worse. Nathan was then diagnosed with an extremely rare and life-threatening brain arteriovenous malformation, or AVM — a diagnosis that puts Nathan at a high risk for lethal brain hemorrhaging.
“I’m in the hospital with him, I’m in tears… and he’s telling me, ‘It’s ok mommy, it’s ok mommy, just laugh,'” Natasha said.
She was determined to find answers. Her son received years of treatment in Toronto and here in B.C., but Nathan was running out of time — and options.
“Every day, worrying that this could be the last day that I could spend with my child…anytime he has a headache, or he doesn’t feel well, I think, am I going to lose him?”
“It just progressively got worse. After each scan we were doing, it was showing that it’s continuing to have microhemorrhages, it’s formed new aneurysms, he’s developed deficits like visual problems and headaches.”
Natasha then found a solution overseas and connected with Dr. Rene Chapot in Germany, who pioneered AVM treatment that isn’t available in North America.
After his first stage of treatment, Nathan started to show improvements.
“I can’t describe the feeling… it was just joy and happiness and a sense of calm,” she said.
“Unfortunately, it was short-lived, because I thought, ‘How are we going to afford it?'”
Before adding the price of travel and accommodations, each round of treatment costs over $60,000, and Nathan may need five rounds.
Natasha turned to the community for support through a GoFundMe campaign.
As well, she pleaded to the provincial government for out-of-country medical care funding, but was denied.
“An effective treatment was available, and he can be cured,” she said.
“His doctors are endorsing it, but our government won’t help me.”
In a letter obtained by CityNews, the province said funding for Nathan’s treatment was denied because “acceptable medical care is already available in B.C.” and that the treatment that’s already shown success for Nathan is “unproven and experimental.”
“I hope that they would respect the expertise of the very neurosurgical teams that treated Nathan here, and are telling you, both in Toronto and B.C., they’re telling you there’s nothing further we can do.”
Natasha and Nathan’s neurosurgeon in Vancouver have formally appealed the province’s decision.
“He’s such a beautiful little soul, and he deserves a chance to grow up.”
CityNews reached out to the Ministry of Health but did not hear back in time for broadcast.
