Help John Lee and Diane Stuckey
Donation protected
Diane is my sister and John is her husband, my brother-in-law, since their marriage December 31, 1999.
John has been battling cancer since July 2016 and now Diane is recovering from an injury herself leaving them both temporarily incapacitated.
It began with a sore throat while we were at the beach together in June. When the sore throat didn't go away, Diane insisted that John go see a doctor. That lead to a biopsy, a PET scan, and the bad news on July 19, 2016 that he had a malignant tumor, a Squamous Cell Carcinoma, at the base of the tongue. He would need to begin chemo and radiation right away. He needed 35 radiation treatments which would be given 5 days a week for 7 weeks. He would also need 9 days of chemo which would be given three days in a row (Wednesday, Thursday, Friday) every third week.
John Lee - still smiling!
He is receiving great care through the Winship Cancer Institute at Emory University in Atlanta. The treatment has been grueling though. He has been hospitalized a couple of times for dehydration and low white blood cell count (neutropenia). Because of his high risk for infection, visitation must be kept to a minimum and all visitors must wear face masks. He has to receive some of his nutrition through a feeding tube now as it is very hard for him to swallow and he has lost a good bit of weight. He has been a true warrior through it all and continues to fight every day with a good attitude. He is close to the finish line. As of this writing, Sept 23, he has only 4 radiation treatments and one round (3 days) of chemo to go next week. Diane posts updates on his treatments on Caring Bridge. You can look for updates at
https://www.caringbridge.org/public/johnmansfieldlee
John wearing his "Spidy" mask for radiation
As bad luck would have it, Diane fell Sunday morning, Sept 19, and broke the humerus in her left arm in three pieces. She had surgery Thursday, Sept 22, and now has a stainless steel plate and several screws in place which thankfully put everything back together nicely.
So here is where their friends and family come in. Many of you have asked how you can help. As you know, Diane and John have been self sufficient up until now and very reluctant to publish their story or ask for assistance of any kind. Now they could use your help, but what they can really use is our support to allow them to remain as independent as possible. They need to hire some housekeeping help, someone to work in their yard this fall and someone to cover the "honey dos", not to mention paying off the things their insurance (although great) will not cover. So if you were thinking of bringing them dinner or sending flowers I would encourage you to put that money toward their Go Fund Me Goal.
John and Diane appreciate how many people have reached out to them with love and well wishes and they keep their phones with them if you would like to send an encouraging text message.
Thank you from the bottom of my heart for caring about their story, for every prayer that has been said on their behalf, and for every donation no matter how small.
With a a greatful heart,
Cindy Stuckey Askounis
John has been battling cancer since July 2016 and now Diane is recovering from an injury herself leaving them both temporarily incapacitated.
It began with a sore throat while we were at the beach together in June. When the sore throat didn't go away, Diane insisted that John go see a doctor. That lead to a biopsy, a PET scan, and the bad news on July 19, 2016 that he had a malignant tumor, a Squamous Cell Carcinoma, at the base of the tongue. He would need to begin chemo and radiation right away. He needed 35 radiation treatments which would be given 5 days a week for 7 weeks. He would also need 9 days of chemo which would be given three days in a row (Wednesday, Thursday, Friday) every third week.
John Lee - still smiling!He is receiving great care through the Winship Cancer Institute at Emory University in Atlanta. The treatment has been grueling though. He has been hospitalized a couple of times for dehydration and low white blood cell count (neutropenia). Because of his high risk for infection, visitation must be kept to a minimum and all visitors must wear face masks. He has to receive some of his nutrition through a feeding tube now as it is very hard for him to swallow and he has lost a good bit of weight. He has been a true warrior through it all and continues to fight every day with a good attitude. He is close to the finish line. As of this writing, Sept 23, he has only 4 radiation treatments and one round (3 days) of chemo to go next week. Diane posts updates on his treatments on Caring Bridge. You can look for updates at
https://www.caringbridge.org/public/johnmansfieldlee
John wearing his "Spidy" mask for radiation As bad luck would have it, Diane fell Sunday morning, Sept 19, and broke the humerus in her left arm in three pieces. She had surgery Thursday, Sept 22, and now has a stainless steel plate and several screws in place which thankfully put everything back together nicely.
So here is where their friends and family come in. Many of you have asked how you can help. As you know, Diane and John have been self sufficient up until now and very reluctant to publish their story or ask for assistance of any kind. Now they could use your help, but what they can really use is our support to allow them to remain as independent as possible. They need to hire some housekeeping help, someone to work in their yard this fall and someone to cover the "honey dos", not to mention paying off the things their insurance (although great) will not cover. So if you were thinking of bringing them dinner or sending flowers I would encourage you to put that money toward their Go Fund Me Goal.
John and Diane appreciate how many people have reached out to them with love and well wishes and they keep their phones with them if you would like to send an encouraging text message.
Thank you from the bottom of my heart for caring about their story, for every prayer that has been said on their behalf, and for every donation no matter how small.
With a a greatful heart,
Cindy Stuckey Askounis
Organizer
Cindy Stuckey Askounis
Organizer
Atlanta, GA
