This is my journey. I went to the emergency room on Fathers day of this year, because of intestinal discomfort and they discovered a bowel blockage and scheduled emergency surgery the next day to remove a tumor that was causing complete blockage. The initial surgery went well, removing a softball sized tumor from my large intestine. It took about 7 weeks to heal from the surgery using a Wound Vac to accelerate healing of the surgical wounds. The Wound Vac was uncomfortable but amazing in its ability to aid in healing.

My journey to beat cancer involved surgery and now Chemotherapy. The Oncologist advised taking at least 6 months of chemotherapy going forward. I received an infusion port for chemotherapy on August 5th. Initial Folfox Chemotherapy on the 17th of August. The second chemotherapy occurred on August 31. All in all, the side effects of the Chemotherapy have been within an accepted range, some sensitivity to cold, and mild nausea. Unfortunately there are side effects that have to be managed and may change as time goes on. Chemotherapy is vital to ensuring a good survival rate. Each treatment is designed to interrupt the growth cycle of any remaining cancerous cells. Going forward there are appointments for Chemotherapy infusion, Doctor visits for health checks, CT Scans, blood tests, etc… I am receiving treatment at the Karmanos Cancer Institute. Karmanos Doctors, nurses and staff have treated us well, providing treatment, and support.

There are so many aspects for a family that is managing this disease that you don’t realize until it hits you. This journey has several elements; physical, emotional, and financial. We were not prepared for the sudden nature of these elements. It is sort of like going on a road trip and packing your bags as you travel.

Below you will see a link to a new GoFundMe page. I had to create a new page because I could not easily edit the previous page and provide updates.