Medical Expenses
Donation protected
My dad, John Barrows, is the kind of man who would put a roof on your house if it was leaking and you had cancer. He actually did that once for a neighbor. Now he has cancer and we need your help to make it a little less miserable.
His illness: Last winter, dad was having really bad back pain. He thought it was an injury, and he could pin-point an event he thought caused it. Doctors, chiropractors, acupuncturists and therapists all weighed in and the pain only got worse. In June, we finally discovered that the pain was being caused by stage 4 metastatic lung cancer, and that he had several crushed vertebrae. With cancer like that, the best you could hope for was remission. There is no cure. But the doctors thought that a round of chemo would help with the pain. The pain was so bad, he agreed to the chemo. The chemo basically took him from bad to worse. It only added intense nausea to his pain and suffering. Then the doctors claimed that radiation might shrink the tumors on his spine (again for the pain) but he only got sicker. Following the radiation, he seemed to be 'recovering' a bit from the treatments, but on Labor Day he suffered from what we think was a stroke. (Doctors don't know for sure.) The traditional cancer treatments have pretty much failed him, and we are exploring alternative (mostly palliative) treatments to help him finish his life in the best way possible.
My dad is being cared for at home now. My mom is with him full-time. My sister, Rose, and I are taking turns being the back-up. Family, friends, and neighbors are generously pitching in as well. (THANK YOU!!) There are visiting nurses coming in daily to administer fluids and check on him.
What we need is to be able to bathe him comfortably. The cost to make the bathroom more ADA friendly is estimated to be $5,000.00. If we successfully raise more than that, we will use any overage for the alternative treatments, which are not covered by insurance or Medicare. My mom is a small business owner, in Maine, in a dim economy. So it's always tight, now even more so. Your generosity, in any amount, is greatly appreciated. If only to let us know that you've read this, and like us, wish this wasn't happening in the first place. I can tell you, there are few things in life that are harder than watching your strong and loving father suffer like this at 65 years old.
Thank you,
Zoe Pellegrino
His illness: Last winter, dad was having really bad back pain. He thought it was an injury, and he could pin-point an event he thought caused it. Doctors, chiropractors, acupuncturists and therapists all weighed in and the pain only got worse. In June, we finally discovered that the pain was being caused by stage 4 metastatic lung cancer, and that he had several crushed vertebrae. With cancer like that, the best you could hope for was remission. There is no cure. But the doctors thought that a round of chemo would help with the pain. The pain was so bad, he agreed to the chemo. The chemo basically took him from bad to worse. It only added intense nausea to his pain and suffering. Then the doctors claimed that radiation might shrink the tumors on his spine (again for the pain) but he only got sicker. Following the radiation, he seemed to be 'recovering' a bit from the treatments, but on Labor Day he suffered from what we think was a stroke. (Doctors don't know for sure.) The traditional cancer treatments have pretty much failed him, and we are exploring alternative (mostly palliative) treatments to help him finish his life in the best way possible.
My dad is being cared for at home now. My mom is with him full-time. My sister, Rose, and I are taking turns being the back-up. Family, friends, and neighbors are generously pitching in as well. (THANK YOU!!) There are visiting nurses coming in daily to administer fluids and check on him.
What we need is to be able to bathe him comfortably. The cost to make the bathroom more ADA friendly is estimated to be $5,000.00. If we successfully raise more than that, we will use any overage for the alternative treatments, which are not covered by insurance or Medicare. My mom is a small business owner, in Maine, in a dim economy. So it's always tight, now even more so. Your generosity, in any amount, is greatly appreciated. If only to let us know that you've read this, and like us, wish this wasn't happening in the first place. I can tell you, there are few things in life that are harder than watching your strong and loving father suffer like this at 65 years old.
Thank you,
Zoe Pellegrino
Organizer
Zoe Barrows Pellegrino
Organizer
Falmouth, ME
