Chris' Kidney Cancer Fund
Donation protected
UPDATE 6/27/17
Hi folks. I've been told its bad form to beg for money but at this point I have no choice but to start posting this campaign again. Some of you may remember a few months ago when the FAA tried to bump Chris down to part time which would have made both of us lose insurance coverage. Well today with no warning or explanation Chris was escorted out of the building by security and dismissed from his job. We don't even know why, and neither do most of his co-workers. It is going to take us a while to get our legal feet under us but we have plans for filing an EEOC complaint and if that doesn't work, to contact an attorney. We still have a 5 inch stack of uncovered medical bills and in 30 days we will have no insurance. Anything at all will help us.
My name is Wendy Cook and I am raising money for my husband Chris. He has been diagnosed with late stage kidney cancer which has spread to his lungs. We are asking for donations to support him since he will not be able to work.
In early October Chris started having trouble urinating and when he did it was nothing but blood. Two emergency room visits later while dealing with what we thought was a bladder infection, a visit to a urologist was recommended for a CT scan of his bladder and kidneys. It was then that we received the devastating news of his kidney cancer.
He has a four inch tumor on his right kidney and it has to be removed right away. Further, the scan showed nodules in both lungs. The right kidney along with the adrenal gland will have to be removed and then chemo for the lungs.
Chris does have insurance, but no short or long term disability coverage, and he has no paid time off available. I have been out of work since July and Chris has been essentially working two full-time jobs to support us. Now he will be unable to work at all for quite a while.
The surgery was extremely invasive and I am taking care of him full-time post-surgery and will be unable to continue seeking employment, leaving us with zero income during what is expected to be a lengthy and difficult recovery period, and we remain completely unaware of what the situation is with his lungs and possible further treatment. He is scheduled to be in the hospital for six days beginning October 19 and continues to work two jobs, however despite his incredibly positive attitude about this, I can see it's starting to take a toll on him.
Chris is a 12 year veteran of the Air Force and Air National Guard. He is also a Gulf War veteran. He joined the Oklahoma Air National Guard in 1984 and has worked on many operations such as the bombing of Libya while deployed to England, and many others. He also volunteered to work command post during the 1995 OKC bombing and had experienced things that he has only recently been able to tell me about.
He and I were high school sweethearts who went our separate ways but never could seem to quite get each other out of our systems and although we stayed in contact, eventually he and I did lose touch for a few years. However, when he volunteered to go out with the first wave of Operation Desert Shield in August of 1990, he knew that the first person he wanted to tell about it was me. We have been together for 25 years, and we will be celebrating our 20th wedding anniversary this September. We never had children but we do have several dogs, a cat and 2 guinea pigs that we love like they were our kids.
Our initial goal is $30,000.00 and the money will be used for deductibles, any procedures that may not be covered, and to pay our family expenses, utilities, mortgage and car payments as we will not have any income until he is able to go back to work and I can resume my job search.
We don't have a definite time frame for his recovery due to the uncertainty regarding his lungs. We are expecting at least two months, most likely more. This will be particularly challenging for me, as I have circulation issues with my legs that require ablation and occasionally get so painful and unsteady I have to walk with a cane, however my procedures are being back-burnered due to Chris' much more serious condition.
As of November 7, 2016 we visited with Chris' oncologist and found out that the chemotherapy recommended for his condition will cost $15,000 per dose and the doctor is submitting it to the insurance company, but we don't know what will or won't be covered. However this is all moot now that by the end of July we will no longer have insurance now that he's been fired with no cause or explanation.
Any assistance we can receive would be so deeply appreciated I'm having difficulty forming the words. As we never had children, he IS my family, my love, my world. The thought of even the remotest possibility of his not being here to grow old with me is more than I can bear. He has already decided that he is going to win this battle and I would really love for us to still have a home when we come out on the other side of this.
Hi folks. I've been told its bad form to beg for money but at this point I have no choice but to start posting this campaign again. Some of you may remember a few months ago when the FAA tried to bump Chris down to part time which would have made both of us lose insurance coverage. Well today with no warning or explanation Chris was escorted out of the building by security and dismissed from his job. We don't even know why, and neither do most of his co-workers. It is going to take us a while to get our legal feet under us but we have plans for filing an EEOC complaint and if that doesn't work, to contact an attorney. We still have a 5 inch stack of uncovered medical bills and in 30 days we will have no insurance. Anything at all will help us.
My name is Wendy Cook and I am raising money for my husband Chris. He has been diagnosed with late stage kidney cancer which has spread to his lungs. We are asking for donations to support him since he will not be able to work.
In early October Chris started having trouble urinating and when he did it was nothing but blood. Two emergency room visits later while dealing with what we thought was a bladder infection, a visit to a urologist was recommended for a CT scan of his bladder and kidneys. It was then that we received the devastating news of his kidney cancer.
He has a four inch tumor on his right kidney and it has to be removed right away. Further, the scan showed nodules in both lungs. The right kidney along with the adrenal gland will have to be removed and then chemo for the lungs.
Chris does have insurance, but no short or long term disability coverage, and he has no paid time off available. I have been out of work since July and Chris has been essentially working two full-time jobs to support us. Now he will be unable to work at all for quite a while.
The surgery was extremely invasive and I am taking care of him full-time post-surgery and will be unable to continue seeking employment, leaving us with zero income during what is expected to be a lengthy and difficult recovery period, and we remain completely unaware of what the situation is with his lungs and possible further treatment. He is scheduled to be in the hospital for six days beginning October 19 and continues to work two jobs, however despite his incredibly positive attitude about this, I can see it's starting to take a toll on him.
Chris is a 12 year veteran of the Air Force and Air National Guard. He is also a Gulf War veteran. He joined the Oklahoma Air National Guard in 1984 and has worked on many operations such as the bombing of Libya while deployed to England, and many others. He also volunteered to work command post during the 1995 OKC bombing and had experienced things that he has only recently been able to tell me about.
He and I were high school sweethearts who went our separate ways but never could seem to quite get each other out of our systems and although we stayed in contact, eventually he and I did lose touch for a few years. However, when he volunteered to go out with the first wave of Operation Desert Shield in August of 1990, he knew that the first person he wanted to tell about it was me. We have been together for 25 years, and we will be celebrating our 20th wedding anniversary this September. We never had children but we do have several dogs, a cat and 2 guinea pigs that we love like they were our kids.
Our initial goal is $30,000.00 and the money will be used for deductibles, any procedures that may not be covered, and to pay our family expenses, utilities, mortgage and car payments as we will not have any income until he is able to go back to work and I can resume my job search.
We don't have a definite time frame for his recovery due to the uncertainty regarding his lungs. We are expecting at least two months, most likely more. This will be particularly challenging for me, as I have circulation issues with my legs that require ablation and occasionally get so painful and unsteady I have to walk with a cane, however my procedures are being back-burnered due to Chris' much more serious condition.
As of November 7, 2016 we visited with Chris' oncologist and found out that the chemotherapy recommended for his condition will cost $15,000 per dose and the doctor is submitting it to the insurance company, but we don't know what will or won't be covered. However this is all moot now that by the end of July we will no longer have insurance now that he's been fired with no cause or explanation.
Any assistance we can receive would be so deeply appreciated I'm having difficulty forming the words. As we never had children, he IS my family, my love, my world. The thought of even the remotest possibility of his not being here to grow old with me is more than I can bear. He has already decided that he is going to win this battle and I would really love for us to still have a home when we come out on the other side of this.
Organizer
Wendy Loyd-Cook
Organizer
Oklahoma City, OK