Help Mike Beat the Crap out of Cancer!
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There are some families living in America that serve to inspire us all. No matter what punches life throws at them they almost always seem to find ways to stand back up on their own two feet and press on. Mike and Susan Mule and their daughter Elizabeth of Sugarland, Texas are a shining example of how hard a family can hit back and refuse to face defeat. That said, even the best prize fighters sometimes receive more than they can handle.
The Mule’s are among the ranks of the many who lost their homes in New Orleans when Hurricane Katrina struck in 2005. They moved to Sugar Land in Texas where they sustained severe damage to a second home, this time to a fire. Mike’s medical concerns mounted on top of the major setbacks including multiple surgeries in an effort to cure diverticulitis and later the shock of discovering cancer in his liver and colon. Mr. Mule underwent 28 rounds of radiation and 5 rounds of chemotherapy, responded well, all while continuing to work as a title researcher to support his family. The end of 2013 brought a CT scan that showed Mike’s colon as being clear, and they believed that they had gotten the miracle we all had prayed for.
Three months later, shock. A routine CT scan just to follow up on Mike’s treatment revealed aggressive tumors now riddling his liver and lungs. Mike’s cancer is back with a vengeance and the Carboplatin and Etoposide (chemotherapy at 5,000 dollars per round) he used previously does not affect the malignant masses. He needs a DNA test that will pinpoint the kind of cancer he has specifically; care that the oncologists will not order without a 6,000 dollar out-of-pocket expense plus 20% of the treatment, which is not covered by insurance. This is devastating news, considering that Huston’s hospitals are the best for treating cancer, except for NET-types, a specimen of which Mike has a high grade. Even if the cancer is pinpointed with the DNA test, the chemotherapy needed to treat it may not be covered by insurance because of being considered “experimental”. Mike has been told by his doctor that if there is anything he’d like to see, he should do it now.
I’m trying to get this out there for people who understand, and can at least offer their prayers to Mike and Susan. My name is Larc, and I met Susan through a reptile Facebook group just after she lost one of her Cuban rock iguanas: Kismet. I learned of Mike’s story, connected with Susan and was there to hear and congratulate them on Mike’s clear CT scan. Now that the cancer has come back in 2014 so suddenly and aggressively, I thought starting this fundraiser to help was the very least I could do as someone whose own mother is a uterine and throat cancer survivor.
This family needs a helping hand. Should you offer it, your aide would go directly into funding Mike’s treatments and time off of work to rest, recover, and be with his family without the stress over if he can afford having his life saved. I want to get as many people behind Susan as possible, and as thanks for your donations, I will personally be offering my professional art services as threshold rewards. Together, let’s give Mike his best chance!!
Here's a few links about the Mules:
Elizabeth has her own webshow featuring animal welfare and rescue: http://www.aliceandkizzie.com/
Some more photos:
The Mule family caring for a rescue bunny
Mike and Susan at an animal education event.
Susan at an education event for reptiles.
The Mule’s are among the ranks of the many who lost their homes in New Orleans when Hurricane Katrina struck in 2005. They moved to Sugar Land in Texas where they sustained severe damage to a second home, this time to a fire. Mike’s medical concerns mounted on top of the major setbacks including multiple surgeries in an effort to cure diverticulitis and later the shock of discovering cancer in his liver and colon. Mr. Mule underwent 28 rounds of radiation and 5 rounds of chemotherapy, responded well, all while continuing to work as a title researcher to support his family. The end of 2013 brought a CT scan that showed Mike’s colon as being clear, and they believed that they had gotten the miracle we all had prayed for.
Three months later, shock. A routine CT scan just to follow up on Mike’s treatment revealed aggressive tumors now riddling his liver and lungs. Mike’s cancer is back with a vengeance and the Carboplatin and Etoposide (chemotherapy at 5,000 dollars per round) he used previously does not affect the malignant masses. He needs a DNA test that will pinpoint the kind of cancer he has specifically; care that the oncologists will not order without a 6,000 dollar out-of-pocket expense plus 20% of the treatment, which is not covered by insurance. This is devastating news, considering that Huston’s hospitals are the best for treating cancer, except for NET-types, a specimen of which Mike has a high grade. Even if the cancer is pinpointed with the DNA test, the chemotherapy needed to treat it may not be covered by insurance because of being considered “experimental”. Mike has been told by his doctor that if there is anything he’d like to see, he should do it now.
I’m trying to get this out there for people who understand, and can at least offer their prayers to Mike and Susan. My name is Larc, and I met Susan through a reptile Facebook group just after she lost one of her Cuban rock iguanas: Kismet. I learned of Mike’s story, connected with Susan and was there to hear and congratulate them on Mike’s clear CT scan. Now that the cancer has come back in 2014 so suddenly and aggressively, I thought starting this fundraiser to help was the very least I could do as someone whose own mother is a uterine and throat cancer survivor.
This family needs a helping hand. Should you offer it, your aide would go directly into funding Mike’s treatments and time off of work to rest, recover, and be with his family without the stress over if he can afford having his life saved. I want to get as many people behind Susan as possible, and as thanks for your donations, I will personally be offering my professional art services as threshold rewards. Together, let’s give Mike his best chance!!
Here's a few links about the Mules:
Elizabeth has her own webshow featuring animal welfare and rescue: http://www.aliceandkizzie.com/
Some more photos:
The Mule family caring for a rescue bunny
Mike and Susan at an animal education event.
Susan at an education event for reptiles.
Organizer
Larc Muckenmuller
Organizer
