Setting Them Free

My husband, Aaron, is in the fight of his life. He is 47 years old. We have two wonderful children—Jonah, 21 years old, who serves in the U.S. Army, and Kayla, 16 years old, just finished her junior year of high school. 

Six years ago, life was going along beautifully. We were running our small business. We were involved with sports and active in our church. We were dreaming the dreams of any typical American family. 
Then, the bottom fell out. On New Year’s Eve, 2016, doctors said Aaron had only three to 15 months to live.

“It’s brain cancer”

He was diagnosed on December 31, 2015, when, at the age of 40, an out-of-the-blue seizure and loss of consciousness sent him to the emergency room. That is when they found two large masses in his brain, each the size of lemons—so large that his brain had shifted to the right. 
They performed a biopsy and found Stage 4 glioblastoma (GBM) and Stage 3 anaplastic astrocytoma (AA3). These are diffuse tumors, meaning very difficult to remove surgically. Despite the risk, Aaron did have the surgery, as the tumors were putting pressure on his brain. They removed as much of the tumors as possible, a six-hour procedure. Aaron was awake for nearly three hours of the operation.

The battle begins
Without treatment, GBM patients typically survive three to six months. With treatment currently available in the U.S., patients typically live an additional one to three years. 

This prognosis was heartbreaking. Our kids were 10 and 14. We had (and still have) so many dreams ahead of us—in life, family, faith, business. The options presented to us were simply not acceptable, so we looked elsewhere.

The most successful treatments that we could find were out of Mexico. We scrambled to raise over $43,000 to join the program. 

We followed up with local oncologists to track the treatment’s success and got some good news: the protocol seemed to be working. For two years, scans showed “no new growth,” a real victory considering Aaron’s type of tumors. 

Then, we were hit with bad news. In 2018, the treatments became unavailable in North America. By 2019, both tumors were growing again.So, at the end of 2019, Aaron had a third brain surgery to remove as much tumor as possible. Not all of it was operable without affecting his speech. Sadly, the third procedure did affect his speech, and he has been struggling with it ever since. 

The surgery also confirmed the presence of a third type of brain tumor—Oligodendroglioma, a cancer of the central nervous system that originates in the brain or spinal cord.

Fighting on
The battle continues. By the summer of 2021, the tumor was proving itself a formidable adversary. It had become inoperable. 

However, a ray of sunshine has cast itself on the battlefield. There is an amazing clinic in Texas that has been helping patients with inoperable and incurable brain cancers for 45 years. The clinic suggests two protocols: one is in Phase III clinical trials; the other includes treatments already approved by the FDA. 
The monthly cost of both protocols is high. Thankfully, we were able to get the approved medicines covered by insurance. The clinical trials, however, are out of pocket.

Meanwhile, the cost of our daily living is a constant worry. We have been battling brain cancer for six years now, and have had to continuously take time off from our small business to address Aaron’s health. Our family’s income is largely dependent on Aaron’s ability to work. We are thankful that he has been able to serve our clients while undergoing treatments. But since 2019, the tumors have grown to become large masses, and the treatments leave him tired, sore, and headachy. In addition, because the tumors are in the speech areas of his brain, he has been having a tough time communicating. But we remain ever hopeful. Although the treatments have been a challenge both financially and physically, they seem to be working.

Strategy for health and healing

With God’s help, we have mapped out a plan. The remaining treatment costs $17,000 per month. In networking with other patients who have recovered from tumors similar to Aaron’s, we have determined that the average length of treatment is a year and a half. 

Because Aaron’s cancer is a unique profile, it’s hard to know exactly how much time he has left of his treatment. The plan is to treat him until we see no signs of active cancer, and then push forward a few months longer to make sure the cancer is gone at the cellular level. 
Aaron has been on the first protocol for seven months. Because it took a while to get insurance coverage, he has been on the second protocol for two months.

The math pencils out at $204,000 to cover approximately 12 months of treatment. It is a lot of money, no doubt. But our faith is deep and the benevolence of others is a fount of refreshment and strength.

Bring in the reinforcements 

So, this is our ask. Please donate in any amount you can. This has been long, uphill battle, but one with many victories and rewards along the way.
It has been a special privilege to meet gracious and loving people and to raise awareness not only for our needs, but the needs of others. We hope to be an inspiration and resource for families who find themselves on a similar journey. 

And here I conclude with a personal note. I am simply not capable of saving my husband, running our business and loving and launching our children all by myself. Most days I feel like I am at the end of my rope. I lean on God, on friends, on family, on new acquaintances and on perfect strangers who reach out with kind words and gestures of support. 

We are so thankful for the generous donations and sincere prayers that have come our way.

We are ever-prayerful and hopeful. Thank you!
Donations to this fundraiser will go to SettingThemFree, a nonprofit, 501c3, organization. The funds will go into an account for Aaron, which will be used to reimburse his medical expenses. Donations made to this account may be tax deductible.