Joey's Pancreatic Cancer Hat Trick
Donation protected
Hello, friends, family, and compassionate strangers --
I am in round 3 of a recurrence for my rare pancreatic cancer. I've been lucky to have a few years of clean scans, but my oncologist has discovered cancer in my lung, and I'm back on that chemo juice for a while.
We're reaching out for support while I shoot for the elusive cancer hat trick!
For those of you who don't know the backstory here, I was diagnosed with Acinar Cell Carcinoma of the Pancreas back in 2015 (at age 25). The number of people sharing this diagnosis is so small that the treatment plan is essentially like throwing spaghetti at the wall to see what sticks.* Because cancer is nothing to mess with and because I was otherwise healthy, my oncologist is throwing all the spaghetti at the wall and has me on a solid chemotherapy regimen to hopefully keep cancer from ever returning... again.. again.
*To be fair, these days we're using genetic analysis data to see if any sauce/pasta combos would be particularly sticky!
On the bright side - I am 5 years past my prognosis, and my partner and I have since accomplished the following with your love and support:
1. We got married!
2. We got a dog who has completed our little family.
3. We moved onto a boat because rent in Seattle skyrocketed, and we wanted to remain close to my doctors. Also, we love living on our 4. boat and having a marina community. Also, it's oddly convenient when it comes to nausea and chemotherapy.
4. I got a job working with underserved veterans! (The rumors are true about social services pay, unfortunately.)
5. Sammy started and completed her BA degree and is now in her second quarter of graduate school so that she can one day work with cancer patients.
6. Sammy's started her own sex-education business and has two part-time jobs she enjoys!
7. We survived a global pandemic with a compromised immune system.
8. I've been able to commit many hours of my free time volunteering to help veterans in our community and continue doing so in my leadership roles within service organizations.
9. I've also had the opportunity to continue my volunteer work in youth programs and political activism.
Our lives are a bit different these days. In some ways, more secure and, in some ways, less secure. This is why we're reaching out for financial support this time around:
-Medical Bills on Medical Bills...on Medical Bills...
-Various supplements and therapies to help both aid in the effectiveness of my chemotherapy, and manage symptoms.
-One of the biggest expenses is alternative treatments to keep down nausea and other symptoms caused by the chemo regimen. These can cost as much as $30-$50/day, uncovered by insurance, for the next 5-8 months.
-General monetary support through treatment. I am still working as much as possible while undergoing chemotherapy, but Sammy can only work part-time while in graduate school. Extra money for unpaid leave, emergencies, groceries, and utilities would not go unappreciated.
-Our car is having some troubles and needs some upkeep work that is straining us financially.
-I require a special diet while on treatment, and the supplements and foods I need to maintain my weight and health are more expensive than what I typically eat.
Thank you for taking the time to read. If you are local to the Seattle area and want to provide any other form of support, we'd love to meet you.
I am in round 3 of a recurrence for my rare pancreatic cancer. I've been lucky to have a few years of clean scans, but my oncologist has discovered cancer in my lung, and I'm back on that chemo juice for a while.
We're reaching out for support while I shoot for the elusive cancer hat trick!
For those of you who don't know the backstory here, I was diagnosed with Acinar Cell Carcinoma of the Pancreas back in 2015 (at age 25). The number of people sharing this diagnosis is so small that the treatment plan is essentially like throwing spaghetti at the wall to see what sticks.* Because cancer is nothing to mess with and because I was otherwise healthy, my oncologist is throwing all the spaghetti at the wall and has me on a solid chemotherapy regimen to hopefully keep cancer from ever returning... again.. again.
*To be fair, these days we're using genetic analysis data to see if any sauce/pasta combos would be particularly sticky!
On the bright side - I am 5 years past my prognosis, and my partner and I have since accomplished the following with your love and support:
1. We got married!
2. We got a dog who has completed our little family.
3. We moved onto a boat because rent in Seattle skyrocketed, and we wanted to remain close to my doctors. Also, we love living on our 4. boat and having a marina community. Also, it's oddly convenient when it comes to nausea and chemotherapy.
4. I got a job working with underserved veterans! (The rumors are true about social services pay, unfortunately.)
5. Sammy started and completed her BA degree and is now in her second quarter of graduate school so that she can one day work with cancer patients.
6. Sammy's started her own sex-education business and has two part-time jobs she enjoys!
7. We survived a global pandemic with a compromised immune system.
8. I've been able to commit many hours of my free time volunteering to help veterans in our community and continue doing so in my leadership roles within service organizations.
9. I've also had the opportunity to continue my volunteer work in youth programs and political activism.
Our lives are a bit different these days. In some ways, more secure and, in some ways, less secure. This is why we're reaching out for financial support this time around:
-Medical Bills on Medical Bills...on Medical Bills...
-Various supplements and therapies to help both aid in the effectiveness of my chemotherapy, and manage symptoms.
-One of the biggest expenses is alternative treatments to keep down nausea and other symptoms caused by the chemo regimen. These can cost as much as $30-$50/day, uncovered by insurance, for the next 5-8 months.
-General monetary support through treatment. I am still working as much as possible while undergoing chemotherapy, but Sammy can only work part-time while in graduate school. Extra money for unpaid leave, emergencies, groceries, and utilities would not go unappreciated.
-Our car is having some troubles and needs some upkeep work that is straining us financially.
-I require a special diet while on treatment, and the supplements and foods I need to maintain my weight and health are more expensive than what I typically eat.
Thank you for taking the time to read. If you are local to the Seattle area and want to provide any other form of support, we'd love to meet you.
Organizer
Louis J. Massa
Organizer
Seattle, WA