Starting a GoFundMe page was a very hard decision to make. We are not the ones to usually ask for help. So many people have reached out and want to help in some way. Yet we are facing something we never saw coming. We thought for sure the hardest part of our summer 2025 would be our daughter and grandson moving to Missouri. But life threw us a massive curveball. Starting in early June, Travis began to have pain in one of his testicles. The pain continued enough to bother him to where he had to go see a urologist. After CT scans, ultrasounds, and blood work, they finally saw enough to do surgery to remove the testicle and do further testing.

We all know how hard Travis works. He really loves his job and everyone he works with, so it always made going to work easy. Once he had that surgery, his days of working came to an end. Well, there was hope of returning after he healed up. For two weeks, we waited to get results, of course going over every possible outcome. Meanwhile, I have read the report of his CT scans. They did show his belly had metastasized lymph nodes. Sometimes you just don't want to read them without a doctor. So, all kinds of things were going through my head, studying and reading everything possible. In a way, I feel it helped me prepare for what was coming next. Finally, it was time to meet with the urologist. He did confirm that Travis had testicular cancer. Strangely enough, he says because he had removed the source, his job was done. Now we will be sending you to Palo Verde Cancer Specialist team. Man, they moved fast. The next day we saw the oncologist, where she did confirm in short term he has stage 2 cancer. In disbelief and all the preparing to hear that very answer, has floored us both with so many questions and concerns. Travis's first question was, "So what happens now? When can I return to work?" He never stops thinking about work and providing for his family. This is a man that never stops from 4 am till bedtime. And now his world is crumbling before his eyes. The doctor's answer would make him cry. "You are looking at from start of chemo to the end about 16 weeks." That's if there were no problems. Remind you, we are now at the end of June, starting July. There was no going to work for a week or two before we start chemo. That doctor ordered a CT of his chest. That did show some small spots as well.

The house is so quiet without our Brook and Hayden. Knowing that the silence is probably the best thing for our situation really didn't help that their sweet hugs and kisses and everything that came with them was gone and has put a big hole in our hearts. Our trips to go see them have also been put on hold.

Time to get started. His chemotherapy is 4 treatments of 5 days for 5 hours a day. So that's one week of chemo, then 2 weeks rest and recover. Then back another week and so on. This plan will put us to the end of October. As a wife, I vowed to love for better or worse. This is the worst, I hope. Being that it is summer, my job does get slow, and they have been so helpful in working with me. I tried to work whenever possible. This has helped a lot with me being able to be by his side every day. There was no way I was going to let him do this alone. No one should have to.

Travis's first treatment started the week of his birthday, July 14th through the 18th. They prepare you with all the symptoms you can get and everything that comes with the chemo. Sadly, I had a feeling because he is never sick, hardly ever needed a doctor for anything, that he was going to feel every bit of each symptom. Sadly, that feeling came true.

During his first week, he lost his voice and had a ton of stomach issues, head hurting, ears ringing, joint pain, tired, cold, and so much more. Thinking this was the worst, okay, we can fight this. God had different plans.

They told us his two-week rest week he might start to feel more and more effects. Week one was hell; he didn't sleep much from one bed to the other to chair and back again. Trying to get him to keep up on fluids and protein was/is a challenge. He started to have a good end of the week. Coming into that 2nd week, he began to get chills and was sleeping a lot. Finally, I said that's it, we're going to the ER.

Wednesday, we started a weekend both of us would never forget. His white blood count was so low, down to 0.8; normal starts at 4.0. So, they started on all the meds to get that count up. In the meantime, they have given him a shot that helps with the white blood count and bone marrow, a booster of sorts. Spent the night in ER, then moved upstairs the next day. His count only went to 1.1, so another booster and more meds. Rolling into Friday, he began to develop what I can only explain as the worst pain he has ever had. His lower back would pulsate with his heartbeat; with every beat, he felt like his back was breaking. Oxycodone, morphine, then dilaudid. Nothing touched the pain. I have never heard him scream and cry in so much pain. It was all I could do to hold it together for him. Hot compress, rubbing, walking, nothing helped. So, the doctor ordered an MRI with and without contrast, thinking something would show up. After a long night, the next day was no better. They came to take him to do the scan. Both myself and his father wanted to go with him; something just said we should go. Well, they told us to stay in his room; he will be right back. I went to turn the TV sound down for some reason, just a feeling. Sat down next to dad, Code blue MRI room, Code blue MRI room. I jumped so fast, ran to the nurse station, did I just hear that right? At first, they said, "No, I don't think so." I saw it in her face. I go back in the room, wait 5 minutes, go back, "Please, is there a way you can please see if that is what I heard?" Pacing the floor with his dad, his mom on the couch praying. How was I going to tell his children? Please God, no, not yet. At that point, Travis's nurse came over, "You did hear that right. I put a call in to the MRI room, but the note I have has him in transport to come back to the room. So take a deep breath. I will continue to call until they answer." 20 minutes go by, he's not here. I know it's him. Finally, she comes over, "Grab your things. It was Travis. He had an allergic reaction to the contrast." He has had it before and was fine. He is in the ICU. I do not know what I would have done without his parents there.

With the power of prayer and the hospital's fast response, we walk in the room. His eyes were so red and swollen, still had a rash, oxygen mask on. During the MRI, he became unresponsive, throwing up, rash, not breathing. But he was alive. We spent the night in ICU and were transferred the next day. Spent another day in the hospital for them to watch him.

So, the MRI didn't show any new findings of the pain. The doctor comes in and lets us know it's very rare but possible that the shot that boosts the white blood cell does cause long bone pain, very rarely in the back. So with his white blood count up, we did not take the 3rd shot.

Coming home was so bittersweet. Home on Sunday, only to start week 2 of chemotherapy on Monday. We spoke with the doctor on Thursday, and she told us, we will better watch your counts here the first week off and do antibiotics starting that 2nd week off. In hopes to keep him out of the hospital and those white blood counts up. She informed us though that he will most likely have this reaction every time, progressing, getting worse each time. So, we are going to do everything we can to stop him from having to get that shot at least.

Well, back to this GoFundMe thing. Watching Travis go through this is very painful. The stress of being out of work this long weighs heavy on him, personally and financially. He misses working and being with his crew. But trying to figure out FMLA and what's going to be covered by insurance and what's not. Traveling back and forth daily across town. Knowing we will be in and out of the hospital. Paying bills. This is all stress I hope to keep away from him. I am not sure how this works. If I can keep everyone updated, I will. We are halfway there. Thank you, everyone, for your thoughts and prayers. The power of prayer has been amazing.