Canadian "Bachelor" contestant raising funds to battle rare cancer diagnosis

A Canadian woman and former contestant on The Bachelor is giving it her all in her fight against a rare cancer, and her community has come together to help her.

Hailey Merkt of Vancouver, BC, was diagnosed in August 2023 with acute myeloid leukemia (AML), which, according to the American Cancer Society, accounts for only about 1% of all cancers.

The 31-year-old initially thought that she was having a panic attack from her heart pumping so much blood and called for an ambulance to bring her to the hospital.

“Four hours after arriving, an entire team of doctors came to tell me that I had leukemia and that it was bad,” Merkt told Daily Hive. “I was told I could not leave and chemo would begin in the morning. I stayed in the hospital for six weeks and tried two types of chemotherapy, both failing.”

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Merkt, a senior marketing and communications manager who has worked for a variety of brands, including Daily Hive, was told that she had a mutation within her AML diagnosis that caused the chemo drugs to be ineffective.

“The last chance I have to attempt hitting remission is an expensive and experimental new treatment which has only existed for a few years,” explained Merkt. “The treatments — Venclaxta and Posaconazole — are not covered by the government and must be paid out of pocket.”

A GoFundMe has been launched by her family members to help her with the costs of the lifesaving treatments. As of the time of reporting, over $82,000 has been raised out of a $90,000 goal.

“The amazing team at Vancouver General Hospital has told us the hard truth: If the treatment doesn’t work, there are no other options. She will have little time left,” reads the GoFundMe description.

“Hailey’s mother has left her job in Kitchener to come to be with her only child. Already two months into this challenge, Hailey has accumulated an extraordinary amount of debt on top of her regular financial obligations. Hailey and her mom are just not able to manage the financial weight of this new treatment, the onslaught of other medical costs, and all the other life expenses that continue to bombard them.

Merkt shared that she is overwhelmed by the support from those who have donated so far.

“I feel so incredibly loved,” said Merkt. “It’s surreal and I hope I can thank every single person by fucking beating this. That’s the goal.

“If that can’t happen, then I’ll be very thankful for the funds available to go do something important in my last moments.”

The Season 21 contestant on The Bachelor has had members of the popular reality TV show reach out to her in support.

“I have had a past producer and many of the incredible women from my season reach out heartbroken. The Bachelor family is a real family. Even if time goes by, we’re there for each other.”

Merkt also encourages everyone to donate blood and platelets and sign up to be a stem cell donor if they are able to.

“I can’t tell you how thankful I am for the amount of donations I have used in order to stay alive during treatment,” she shared. “Signing up to be a donor is as easy as a cheek swab and could help save someone’s life in the future.”

And while Merkt is giving it her all during her fight against AML, she is thankful for the community that supports her on the challenging days.

“I’m going to give this my fucking all! I feel like I have an army of people marching me forward,” Merkt said. “Some days are really really hard. I’m not going to lie, sometimes it feels too hard, which is a scary feeling.

“But since I’ve opened up to the community, the support I have gives me the strength to look in the mirror every morning and say, ‘You’re doing this! You’re not giving up! I’m so thankful I don’t have to worry about whether I can afford to continue the treatment that is trying to save my life.”