Benefit for John Best's Cancer Treatment

Hi everyone, my name is Adam and I'm here to tell you the story of my father, John Best, and his fight against Pancreatic Cancer .


On December 23rd, 2020, I was working a Wednesday shift from home, when I received a call from my mother Brenda.  I knew they were going to a doctor's appointment that day, so I thought it was strange to hear from her mid-day.  I was on a conference call at the time, so I couldn't take the call.  But she texted almost immediately - "CALL ASAP!"

My mind went through about a hundred different scenarios as I got off the conference call and called her back.  They were still at the doctor's office, where the results of some bloodwork had come back...

My dad was positive for Pancreatic Cancer.

Neither of them were in any state to drive a long distance, so they came to my apartment, and I drove them to Upstate University Hospital in Syracuse.  The plan was to immediately get the ball rolling to see what the situation was, and how we were to proceed.

The CT scan performed at Upstate indicated a mass on the "tail" of the pancreas and spots on the liver.  The next step was to schedule a biopsy, which they opted to perform on the liver as it is more accessible than the pancreas itself.

The biopsy was performed on Monday, January 4, 2021.  The results came back that the spots were indeed cancerous, meaning it has spread from the pancreas to the liver, and thus making it Stage 4.  More appointments have been made in the days to come to discuss treatment options and next steps.

And so here we are now.  Don't let all of this depressing talk fool you though - John is not, by any means, out for the count.  His sense of humor is as strong as ever, and we are all staying positive as we navigate this last curve ball 2020 decided to throw us.


I set this up with his and my mother's blessings, not out of necessity, but to keep everyone apprised of his situation and as a place to keep everyone up to date with how he's doing.  One thing I've always been in awe about when it comes to my dad, is his ability to make friends and connect with anyone.  My mom and I always joke that we can't go anywhere without John seeing someone he knows.  And he could have seen that person last week, last year, or 20 years ago - and it's like no time had passed.  The immediate family knows this news, but there's a good chance others that John has touched over the years haven't heard.  So please share this and get the word out.

All donations go straight to John and Brenda to help with their travelling expenses, medical bills, or other necessities they need while he undergoes treatment.  If you have their phone number, I guarantee he would love to hear from everyone as well, so please do call.  And of course, I'll try to keep this up to date as we keep pushing on.

Thanks for taking the time to read this, the three of us appreciate it more than you all know!