Dear Friends and Family,
We have recently been reminded about what means most in life. It's not about the things; it's about the people. More specifically, the memories, experiences, adventures and love that people you care most about bring to your life. All things that can never be taken away, forgotten, or replaced.
Our best friend, Chris Biggar, has recently been diagnosed with stage 4 colorectal cancer. At age 34, this has been quite a shock to us all. On September 4th, Chris went to the ER with excruciating abdominal pain. Testing and scans revealed a large mass on his liver. The biopsy of the mass confirmed stage 4 colon cancer that has metastasized to the liver. He resided in the hospital for almost a week receiving more tests, blood work, scans, and procedures.
It has already been a bit of a rough ride. Since being released from his initial hospital stay, Chris has been in and out of the ER. His first visit was for two pulmonary embolisms (blood clots in the lungs), which caused difficulty breathing, strain on the heart, chest pain, and a temporarily paralyzed left arm. He was taken by ambulance to the hospital, where he was met by several doctors for testing and scans, which ultimately determined his pulmonary embolisms. A few days later, Chris had severe pain radiating from his left calf, which made him unable to walk. Again, he was taken to the ER to determine the cause. More scans determined deep vein thrombosis (multiple blood clots in his legs). Chris went through surgery to remove the clots from his leg. Chris is now on blood thinners to help prevent future clots. Thankfully, these two scenarios were caught in time.
So, what’s next? Throughout Chris’ testing, it has been determined that he has a favorable genetic mutation. This specific genetic mutation has qualified him for a treatment called immunotherapy. This therapy uses his immune cells to fight cancer. Currently, the plan is to treat with immunotherapy and then proceed to possible surgery in the next 3-6 months depending on the improvement of the tumors. Chris will receive immunotherapy treatment approximately every two or three weeks, with the first treatment already underway (September 30).
Why do we need your help? This past April, Chris resigned from his position at Warby-Parker as a sales manager in Cincinnati, OH. He needed a new career and adventure and ended up following his dream job at Open Book Extracts in Roxboro, NC. In June, he moved to Durham, NC, found an apartment with his girlfriend, Sam, and was ecstatic for this new chapter in his life. Little did he know that in just a few short months, his world was going to flip. Chris is currently unable to continue working because of the pain, nausea, treatments, appointments, and mere exhaustion. He cannot receive any PTO or extended leave options because of his company’s policy (he needs to be employed for 12 months with the company). The financial burden has already caused a significant amount of stress and energy-- Energy that should be put towards healing.
Chris Biggar is the most loyal, fun-loving, hilarious friend who will do anything in the world to help someone out. As difficult and as real of a decision it was for him to accept a GoFundMe page, it’s now our turn to reciprocate his giving nature. The goal that we have set (in GoFundMe) is a projection of medical costs, living expenses, and any other home care he will need throughout this process. We all remain optimistic and hopeful and will continue to fight with him to cure this beast that resides in his body.
“To the cancer: you’ve taken so many people from me. I’m not just fighting for me; I’m fighting extra hard for them. I hope you ate your Wheaties, b**ch. You’re going to need them. See you in the ring.” -Chris
We love you, Chris! We, and so many others, are in the ring with you.
We will continue to update Chris’ progress through this page. He would love words of support, donations (
https://www.gofundme.com/f/p46ng-chris-fight) , prayers, good healing vibes, and maybe something humorous every now and then 😊 Thank you for your time and dedication to helping him get through this current chapter of his life.
All our love,
Kristin and Blake Horsburgh
#SeeYouInTheRing
