You'll Forever Be My Always

Hey all...

We weren't going to make one of these, but at this point, our choices are limited...Never in my wildest dreams would I think something like this would happen, but life doesn't always go according to plan.

For those who read this and are not yet aware of what's going on, I'll try my best to keep this as short as I can...about six months ago, Chris went to have a non-cancerous fatty lipoma removed from in between his shoulder blades. The mass had grown to the size of a small grapefruit and started to hurt quite a bit, so getting it taken out had become a priority. Even though we discussed our concerns about Chris having had Hodgkin's Lymphoma when he was 16, we were told that this kind of situation was very common, and removal was routine.

March 2nd, the mass was successfully removed, a biopsy taken, and we were sent home for him to heal. When the biopsy came back, the doctor let us know that the mass was benign. There was no reason for concern, and he could go back to living life normally after he was off lift restriction.

About 2 weeks later, I started to notice the incision site was looking a bit swollen. We figured maybe the surgeon hadn't been able to get all of the lipoma, and it was trying to grow back. As the mass continued to re-grow, Chris started to complain that the spot was becoming really painful again to where it felt like a hot poker was stabbing him in the back. At this point, I told him that maybe he should go back to the doctor to see what was happening in there.

He didn't want to see the original doctor because he felt like something just wasn't right. So I did some research, and found him another that could hopefully provide a better second opinion. This doctor after taking one look at him became extremely concerned and immediately referred him to a surgeon for further consultation.

Mid-July arrives, and the site had swollen to twice the size of what it had been to start with. Off we went to see the surgeon, and after discussing the situation with her, an ultrasound was performed to figure out if there was anything serious to be concerned about before she reopened the original incision. The only thing the ultrasound showed was a dark mass that she suspected was a hematoma that had formed within the original cavity but she wouldn't know for sure until she opened him back up.

The morning of July 28th arrives, and I go with Chris to the hospital for his outpatient surgery.

While he's still sedated, the doctor comes out to talk with his mom and I about her findings and how everything else went. She sits down in front of us and tells us that she found quite a lot of blood which she suspected, and a lot of infected tissue that she had sent off to be biopsied to double check what the orginal biopsy had reported.

The biopsy had came back within 30 minutes, and described the tissue as showing signs of malignancy....We were shocked, and honestly couldn't really believe what we were hearing. At that point we knew we had to be as positive as possible until we had more answers.

A week later, Chris was sent off for full body CTs to see if the cancer cells had stayed in that one spot, or had traveled to other parts of his body.

Once the scans came back, the surgeon let us know that Chris had been set up with an appointment to see a cardio-thoracic specialist to decipher what had been found so we could better understand what we were now facing.

The specialist informed us that the cancer cells they found during surgery was actually a large tumor that was fully wrapped around his spine. Sadly, the worst fear of all was now a reality...the cancer had indeed metasticized to other places...

At this point, the tumor which has since been diagnosed as a Synovial Sarcoma on Chris's spine is currently eating away the vertibrate it's wrapped around which is what has been causing him severe pain in that spot.

From there, the cancer has spread to his lungs, where he currently has over 20 tumors in his left lung, and even more in his right.

Because of the rare and agressive nature of this type of cancer and how far this has unknowingly spread, he is considered to now be in Stage 4. We're doing everything we can to try and stay positive, but the grim reality of everything has finally started to set in.

You never truly realize how precious life is until the time you have with the ones you love the most has the potential of being cut short without warning.

On Wednesday August 17th, Chris got down on one knee and asked me to marry him. With my whole heart, I said yes. I love him with my whole heart and I would marry him 1000 times over, in a 1000 life times. One of the things Chris wants to do before his health declines any further is to get married on the beach in North Carolina with our family and our close friends watching and I'm going to do anything in my power to make sure that happens. With all of this in mind and knowing the prognosis going forward, we've decided to pull details together quickly and get married next month on 9/17. On the day that I get to marry my best friend, I want to know that he's truly happy while standing on the sand, listening to the peacefulness of the waves, with the people who love us the most watching as we say I do...

While we debated for a good bit about not only if we should make a gofundme, but finally talking about what's going on openly, we know at this point that we're going to need all the help we can get from all angles...Chris and I want to graciously ask for any possible assistance from anyone is able to offer their help. We're now facing the mountainous reality of bills and medical expenses that are about to start piling up, as well the costs of trying to throw a wedding together in less than 4 weeks...

If you are unable to help, please share as much as possible, and please send as many good thoughts and prayers as you can our way. Those mean just as much to us!!!

I love this man to the moon, stars, and back, and I'm willing to do anything in my power to make sure hes truly happy during the rest of the time he has on this earth no matter what the outcome of this situation may be...