Al the People's Pal Health Journey

Aloha, my name is Alan Schroepfer. I have an amazing wife, Sara, and 2 beautiful children. Kian is 11, and Kanoa is 8-years old, both boys. We like to do many outdoor activities together and travel. I have lived in Kihei, HI since 1996. Sara and I have just celebrated our 8th year in the Rainbow Mall as 808 Wellness Spa and Healing Center. We are in the middle of expanding our business again, for the third time! We are adding another approximately 750 sqft to our existing 1000 sqft. Our main business goal and intentions are to support our Maui Ohana as part of their wellness care team. I wear many hats in the business but patient care is my favorite.

I have been a licensed massage therapist since 1998 and licensed Acupuncturist since 2010. I have given therapeutic treatments via many forms of massage and traditional Chinese medicine. In this time, I have witnessed the benefits of integrating medicinal approaches to gain improved efficacy and reduce time and amount of care. This has directed me to continue learning and to encourage everyone to find multidimensional providers. Prior to this diagnosis, I had been making plans to return to school for advancement. Now I am following my own advice and digging deep to find out how I can get integrated care to beat Pancreatic cancer.

I'm also swallowing my pride and fundraising to help pay for the integrative medical needs to make it through my battle with pancreatic adenocarcinoma. I’m going to need all the help I can to make it through this. This type of cancer is very tough to treat, success rates are dim at best. It'll take a village to support me and my family as we navigate the delicate twists and turns along the way.

The funds will be used to pay medical bills including hospitalizations, Integrative therapies, nutritional therapy, travel to locations for medical and therapeutic services and missed income from not working the next approximately six months or possibly more based upon how we’re progressing in our fight. As I am in the health and wellness category of healthcare, you can bet I'm going to mix the use of modalities in order to regain and maintain my health. This experience is not going to take me down.

As of November 11, I have been at Scripps Green Hospital in La Jolla, CA. I am currently being treated for the cancer directly by receiving chemo to reduce the pancreatic tumor size and to reduce the lesions present on the liver. My first 10 days were for stabilizing my body from secondary problems like an impacted small intestine and setting 2 stents in the bile ducts which had swollen my gallbladder to approximately twice the size. I also received a nerve block in order to relieve the sensation of pain from the celiac nerve that sits directly behind the tumor and radiates pain all over the abdomen and up the left shoulder. The tumor itself is located in the center of the pancreas. It is just about 2 cm wide, 2+ cm tall and 4 cm deep and has grown partially around the celiac artery and vein, making it nearly out of reach for most surgical teams to attempt a recesection.

My current plan is to start with chemo every 2 weeks and in the meantime, nutritional therapies (plant and earth medicine), detox therapies and anything else that will treat systemically, including staying onsite at healing centers that may provide all of this at the same time. I am also looking into a procedure at Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN for resection that they have been developing for a while that they remove the tumor with the artrey and vein and replace with associted cancer free tisue. I have also just discovered there is a procedure that has just been approved by the FDA that was partially developed with the University of Michigan. It is called histotripsy and has a very high effective rate with very little side effects.

As I mentioned, there are many moving parts that will not be covered by medical insurance. From at home equipment to costs of travel and accommodations while away getting care as well as months of missed income. Without help, I wonder how we can survive the lost wages on top of the medical bills.

Budget Estimate: Per month 6 months

Self care and at home equiptment: $1000-$6000

Travel, Transportation & Accommodations: $2000 - $6000 every time

Out of pocket Integrative Medical: $6000 per week, 8 weeks = $48,000

Personal needs due to lost wages: $3000 - $18,000

Miscellanous: $600 - $2500

Total = $80,500