Keeping Eric's Life Boat Afloat

As many of you already know, my son Eric has cancer. He was diagnosed in September, 2015 and underwent surgery to remove the primary mass on his 29th birthday. Following that procedure, a CT scan was performed revealing a very large mass in his abdomen… roughly the size of a football.  Fortunately, his type of testicular cancer, while fatal if left untreated, is curable through chemotherapy.

Eric received 4 rounds of Etopocide-Cisplatin chemo. Each round consisted of 7 hours of intravenous infusion every day for a week.  During chemo, Eric had an amazing attitude and did a great job maintaining his strength and handled chemo really well. He finished on New Year’s Eve and started 2016 with a positive outlook. Initial scans showed the mass was reduced to 2 cm and he was in remission.

As part of his follow up, he went for bloodwork, CT scan and X-rays. The CT scan showed that his tumor is growing again and is now 4 cm.  For it to be returning so quickly is a totally unexpected and terribly upsetting development.

His MD Anderson/Cooper oncologist has referred him to University of Pennsylvania/Abramson Cancer Center where they are conducting clinical trials. The specialist there is one of the Top 5 in the country for this type of cancer, and we have confidence that Eric will receive the best care and effective treatment there. 

At this point, Eric has been out of work for almost a year. As his primary caregiver and being self-employed, I’ve lost and will continue to miss countless hours and income. In addition, now having to go out of state for care means a higher monthly insurance premium, a $6,850 out-of-pocket total, as well as increased costs for travel to and from appointments and treatment, which is expected to last about four months with another recuperation period to follow.

As I share this bad news with my friends, clients and family, everyone says ‘Let me know if there’s anything I can do.’ And as much as I hate admitting that I can't handle this alone, I know that in order for others to have the blessing of giving, I have to be willing to receive. I wish there was some other way for people to help, but it’s just a fact that the financial situation is a huge area of concern and stress.

So, we're sending out this S.OS. to keep our heads above water. 

Your kindness, generosity, love and prayers mean more than you know. 

Thanks and love to all,
Jayne Shearer and Eric Warner