Clint and Tad's Fight for Life
Donation protected
Help this amazing couple beat cancer! Clint and Tad are some of the hardest working people there are! They both have always worked full time and have earned what they have by the sweat of their brow. Clint has worked for the Utah State Division of Wildlife for over 30 years and Tad has 29 years on with the state in the Motor Carrier Division. Both of them have had major obstacles they have had to overcome in their lifetime, now being no exception. They have always come out stronger and they will this time too, as they both fight their own battle to beat cancers butt! They make a great team and will fight together to become healthy once again so they can enjoy the people they love and the things they love to do. Both of them are avid hunters. Clint has his own guiding business on the side, and Tad was nominated as Extreme Huntress in 2013. They both love the outdoors and spend a great majority of their time out in the hills with their family.
This journey began two years ago when Clint got kicked in the leg by a horse. Months went on and the sore wouldn’t heal. It continued to get worse so they eventually did a biopsy on it. It came back as melanoma….not a word anyone likes to hear! They did radiation and Chemo and shrunk it down enough to do surgery. Later, he had to have a skin graft off his thigh to cover the open wound. They were confident they got all the cancer but wanted to continue chemo for the year to make sure it was all out of his system. During this time Clint continued to work, although there were days he didn’t feel like getting out of bed from the nausea and headaches the chemo caused. Finally, in Dec of 2016 the doc gave him a clean scan and felt they could stop chemo. Clint was so excited to finally be done driving the hour and a half each way for treatments. He had three months without having to be back to the oncologist and was feeling great again.
When it was time for his three-month pet scan, he got devastating news. Not only was the cancer back, it had spread into his stomach lining and lymph nodes. The Doc told him all he could do at this point was buy him some time. Once again the treatments started back up, but this time his body didn’t react to them. The cancer kept growing and they made him so sick he was hospitalized several times. He got so ill, we weren’t sure he was going to make it…
Meanwhile, in the middle of Clints first treatment, Tad started experiencing pains in her stomach. She ignored them and chalked it up to indigestion. The pains eventually grew so strong over the year that in April 2017, she couldn’t ignore them anymore. With coaxing and a little threatening from her family and friends she agreed to have a cat scan done to see if the problem could be identified. The test revealed a tumor in the head of her pancreas. She went to Salt Lake to have a biopsy done, and it revealed our worst fear…cancer!
At this point Clint was so sick, she knew chemo was not an option for her. She had to be his primary caregiver and knew she couldn’t be sick also. Through a friend, praying and inspiration, they both knew they needed to head to Mexico for help with treatment. Clints body couldn’t endure anymore chemo, and they felt this was the right decision for both of them.
They pulled out all their savings and put some other resources together and were able to go to mexico for three weeks. Insurance didn’t cover this pricy adventure but they were able to make it happen. Mom was still feeling pretty healthy when they headed down, but Clint went in a wheelchair. The treatment they received there was top-notch. Within days, Clint was running upstairs, taking walks and eating again. He hadn’t felt this good in two years! It was a miracle to witness the change that took place in him!
When they returned home, Clint went right back to work and hasn’t stopped yet!
Tad on the other had started having increased symptoms and couldn’t eat without throwing up or being in excrutiating pain. She finally went the ER and had another scan done showing the tumor was pressing on veins and nerve fibers. The only way to relieve the pain is to shrink the tumor enough to do surgery and remove it. The next week they both made an appointment with their oncologist and Clint was scheduled for another pet scan. The results of Clints pet scan were not what we hoped for. Although the doctor was amazed in his overall improvement in health, the cancer had continued to grow. The docs suggestion was to take an oral chemo that doesn’t have the harsh side effects and return to Mexico for a different procedure that is specifulally designed to blast tumors away. This means additional cost that insurance wont cover. His recommendation for Tad was strong chemo, then radiation and chemo together, surgery and more chemo!
So here it is July, Clint will be on his way to Mexico for a different treatment and Tad will be home doing Chemo and Radiation. She is too ill to continue working so she will not be getting her paycheck until she is well enough to get back to work, which will be around a year or so.
Please help this couple ease their burden of worrying about financial stresses as they should only be focusing on getting better right now. They are way too proud to ever ask for help, but as friends and family we want to help them out anyway we can. I know once they are healthy they will pay it back ten-fold as they always have! If you personaly know this couple, you know how kind and hard working they are. They got hit with a double whammy at once... please help! A little bit from lots of people helps tremenduoulsy!
This journey began two years ago when Clint got kicked in the leg by a horse. Months went on and the sore wouldn’t heal. It continued to get worse so they eventually did a biopsy on it. It came back as melanoma….not a word anyone likes to hear! They did radiation and Chemo and shrunk it down enough to do surgery. Later, he had to have a skin graft off his thigh to cover the open wound. They were confident they got all the cancer but wanted to continue chemo for the year to make sure it was all out of his system. During this time Clint continued to work, although there were days he didn’t feel like getting out of bed from the nausea and headaches the chemo caused. Finally, in Dec of 2016 the doc gave him a clean scan and felt they could stop chemo. Clint was so excited to finally be done driving the hour and a half each way for treatments. He had three months without having to be back to the oncologist and was feeling great again.
When it was time for his three-month pet scan, he got devastating news. Not only was the cancer back, it had spread into his stomach lining and lymph nodes. The Doc told him all he could do at this point was buy him some time. Once again the treatments started back up, but this time his body didn’t react to them. The cancer kept growing and they made him so sick he was hospitalized several times. He got so ill, we weren’t sure he was going to make it…
Meanwhile, in the middle of Clints first treatment, Tad started experiencing pains in her stomach. She ignored them and chalked it up to indigestion. The pains eventually grew so strong over the year that in April 2017, she couldn’t ignore them anymore. With coaxing and a little threatening from her family and friends she agreed to have a cat scan done to see if the problem could be identified. The test revealed a tumor in the head of her pancreas. She went to Salt Lake to have a biopsy done, and it revealed our worst fear…cancer!
At this point Clint was so sick, she knew chemo was not an option for her. She had to be his primary caregiver and knew she couldn’t be sick also. Through a friend, praying and inspiration, they both knew they needed to head to Mexico for help with treatment. Clints body couldn’t endure anymore chemo, and they felt this was the right decision for both of them.
They pulled out all their savings and put some other resources together and were able to go to mexico for three weeks. Insurance didn’t cover this pricy adventure but they were able to make it happen. Mom was still feeling pretty healthy when they headed down, but Clint went in a wheelchair. The treatment they received there was top-notch. Within days, Clint was running upstairs, taking walks and eating again. He hadn’t felt this good in two years! It was a miracle to witness the change that took place in him!
When they returned home, Clint went right back to work and hasn’t stopped yet!
Tad on the other had started having increased symptoms and couldn’t eat without throwing up or being in excrutiating pain. She finally went the ER and had another scan done showing the tumor was pressing on veins and nerve fibers. The only way to relieve the pain is to shrink the tumor enough to do surgery and remove it. The next week they both made an appointment with their oncologist and Clint was scheduled for another pet scan. The results of Clints pet scan were not what we hoped for. Although the doctor was amazed in his overall improvement in health, the cancer had continued to grow. The docs suggestion was to take an oral chemo that doesn’t have the harsh side effects and return to Mexico for a different procedure that is specifulally designed to blast tumors away. This means additional cost that insurance wont cover. His recommendation for Tad was strong chemo, then radiation and chemo together, surgery and more chemo!
So here it is July, Clint will be on his way to Mexico for a different treatment and Tad will be home doing Chemo and Radiation. She is too ill to continue working so she will not be getting her paycheck until she is well enough to get back to work, which will be around a year or so.
Please help this couple ease their burden of worrying about financial stresses as they should only be focusing on getting better right now. They are way too proud to ever ask for help, but as friends and family we want to help them out anyway we can. I know once they are healthy they will pay it back ten-fold as they always have! If you personaly know this couple, you know how kind and hard working they are. They got hit with a double whammy at once... please help! A little bit from lots of people helps tremenduoulsy!
Organizer and beneficiary
Lindsey Brown Jones
Organizer
Kanab, UT
Tad Mecham
Beneficiary
