Cancer doesn’t have a face until it’s yours or someone you love. Growing up people always think “that won’t happen to me or my family”, I would have never thought that cancer would be something that will affect my family. Unfortunately I was wrong.. October 8, 2020 dad had a CT chest exam where his doctor found a mass in his right lung and wanted him to get it checked out. October 20, 2020 dad and I went to St. Cloud hospital to have a throat culture to determine what the mass was. We found out that it was squamous cell carcinoma in his right lung, about the size of a golf ball we were told. He ended up retiring from trucking and just wanted to live! With him retiring though he has needed to start the process of collecting his retirement, etc. Dad had been complaining of shoulder pain that started the week before Christmas. He saw his primary physician for medication for the pain and went on his way. We had spent an amazing Christmas together as a family, my sister came home from Colorado for the weekend and time was spent laughing and cherishing time together! Everything was beyond perfect! But little did we know his cancer was growing rapidly. Thursday, January 7 things went south fast for dad! My mom had noticed he wasn’t eating or going downstairs, she would make him food and he’d only eat a couple of bites. He would tell her he “didn’t make it downstairs today”. His sleeping routine was much more and he was very weak, his basic life skills were not happening like they should. My mom called my brother and I on Sunday the 10th to come help her get him to the ER. When we arrived my dads physical ability was beyond help from us, he could not stand without us holding him up. We knew we need help, so he was taken by ambulance to Carris Hospital where he spent 4 days in ICU. He had numerous MRI’s and CT scans ranging from his brain to pelvic area. They have found that his cancer has metastasized and is spread out on his entire right side. On top of the cancer he has pneumonia as well. There is a lobe that has collapsed in his lung due to the cancer that is now stopping the pneumonia to leave. When he was in the hospital his pneumonia was sepsis as well, thankfully he is no longer sepsis. He was transferred on January 14th to Rice therapy suites in Willmar. Thankfully he has improved drastically and is able to walk on his own, eating, and communicating. He had his oncology appointment on Monday the 18th where is was confirmed that he has non small cell squamous carcinoma, his doctor shared that his cancer is now stage 4 and incurable. Immunotherapy is an option for him, but we are all concerned for the pain it may cause him. He had his radiation appointment on Thursday and his doctor sounds very optimistic. Dad has his PET scan coming on Tuesday the 26th and this will help us all know how much and where his cancer all is. Also, this will show us if he is able to have a port put in for his immuno or chemo therapy. With my mom owning her own business and my dad now retired their income and insurance is limited. With the ambulance ride, hospital stay, therapy suites, appointments and possible treatment coming to help prolong his life with us; bills are adding up. My mom is extremely stressed out with just wanting my dad to be comfortable in the time he has, but has also expressed the “amount building”. My mom and dad have never been the type to ask for help, so we are doing it for them. Please know how appreciative we are of everyone’s support and prayers coming our way! Anything given will go directly to his medical bills and stay at Rice. If we could ask for anything though it would be for prayers. Prayers for my dads comfort and for the least amount of pain possible. Prayers for his strength and will to keep fighting no matter what. Prayers for my mom as she is by his side and her strength to continue fighting.