Dear family and friends,

I’m reaching out with a heavy heart to urgently seek support for my brother-in-law and sister, Cain and Janelle, who continue to battle their way through Cain’s ruthless cancer journey.

In June, 2023, Cain began coughing a little bit of blood, but easily shrugged it off as a side effect of taking too much ibuprofen. He was living life as normal - taking trips, doing chores around the house, and the like. Until he woke up the morning of Tuesday, June 27, blind in one eye. Janelle rushed him to the ER, where they received the life-changing news that Cain had cancer in his eye, abdomen, testicles, lungs, and various other areas throughout his body. Just five days prior he had traveled to Texas to pick up their new puppy. He seemed fine.

This cancer was swift, and it was brutal. Within days he was unable to breathe or walk on his own. They began emergent chemotherapy right away. Since then, Cain’s been in a relentless battle, enduring chemotherapy, radiation, and an array of medications and therapies to try and combat this vicious disease. At the beginning of January, 2024, we thought we could see a glimmer of light, but on February 13th, they found more cancer - this time in his spine. It came on just as fast and ferociously as it did over the summer. Within hours they were making plans for emergent radiation to try and prevent paralysis. Radiation and chemotherapy are rarely done at the same time, but it was necessary given the aggressive nature of Cain’s cancer.

We hoped it would be a typical round of inpatient chemotherapy - 5-7 days in the hospital and then home to finish recovering. But, that wasn’t the case; on the day we hoped he would be discharged (February 22nd), he was instead admitted to the ICU, where he remains.

During this extraordinarily difficult time, Janelle has been by his side every step of the way, and she recently made the decision to take a leave from work to ensure she can remain by his side 100% of the time. Her devotion to her husband is a true testament to the love that they share. And, while we try to see the silver lining that she can spend this time completely dedicated to Cain, we can’t overlook the financial hardships that continue to grow.

This fundraising effort was set up to help alleviate the financial burden not only of Cain’s mounting medical bills, but also of the essential living expenses that continue to grow while Janelle is unable to work.

So many of you have offered help by way of prayers, words of comfort, and practical assistance, and we appreciate the support more than we’ll ever be able to express. If I could humbly ask for one more thing, it would be that you share their story to help spread awareness and hope.

Thank you for taking the time to read their story.

Please continue to keep them in your thoughts and prayers. We need a miracle, and Cain is someone who truly deserves one.

With immense gratitude,

Joyanne

(*A MealTrain.com page was previously set up for them, but their needs have drastically changed since that was started just a mere 11 days ago. As of right now, that website has amassed $4,715 in donations!)