- R
In November I was diagnosed with stage 2a Hodgkin's lymphoma after being in remission for over three years after I beat stage 4 colon cancer. On the one hand, it's good that this new diagnosis is not a colon cancer recurrence. But on the other hand, it's more than concerning that my body has managed to develop two seemingly unrelated (as far as we know at this point) primary cancers before my 32nd birthday. Thankfully though, the prognosis for my new Hodgkin's diagnosis is very promising, with the vast majority of people affected by this disease (even those with late stage disease) being cured within a matter of months. Because I'm stage 2, I will only have to do 4 months of chemo (8 individual treatments total) and will be able to avoid radiation entirely if all goes well. My first infusion is scheduled for Friday, December 11th and I expect to be done by the end of March. That said, this still won't be easy and that's why Kayla and I are asking for your help.
My previous experiences with chemo were, frankly, traumatic and by far the most difficult part (physically, mentally, and emotionally) of my last bout with cancer. And from what I've read and been told by my doctors, this new chemotherapy will likely be even more difficult from a side effects perspective than the chemotherapies I've had before. With that in mind, we're anticipating that I will largely be incapacitated (or at the very least severely hampered) for the next four months, which will make life extra difficult for Kayla and our six year old son, Rowan. Kayla will be juggling a full-time job, taking care of me when I need it, being a mother to a rambunctious and extroverted six year old who will be stuck at home with his boring parents for the foreseeable future because his school is closed due to the pandemic, attempting to take care of herself, and doing her normal everyday life stuff all while hardly ever leaving the house because my severely compromised immune system makes me profoundly susceptible to the wildly unregulated pandemic our country is experiencing right now.
That's where this fundraising campaign comes into play. What most people still don't realize about people fighting cancer or other life-threatening diseases is that the financial devastation of that situation can sometimes be the most difficult part of the whole thing. The stress that comes from trying to figure out how to make ends meet has defined the last few years of our lives and is rearing its ugly head again in a new way. But even with all of the financial stress we've experienced, we know that it would have been so much worse if it wasn't for things like Medicaid, the Affordable Care Act, and the incredible generosity of our friends, family members, and even people we've never met. It genuinely pains me to ask for money (yet again) during a time that is so financially difficult for so many people right now, but here we are. At the end of the day, please be wise, be thoughtful, and do what feels right to you. If you're in a position to be able to contribute, that's great. If you're not, that's great too (trust me; we understand as well as anybody).
Just know that for those of you who are able to give, even if it's only a dollar, we will be putting all of it towards (1) covering our health insurance plan's max-out-of-pocket expense for 2021, (2) covering the cost of things our insurance might not cover (such as genetic testing, psychotherapy, etc.), (3) take-out food from local businesses when we just don't have the energy to cook for ourselves, (4) other everyday expenses such as our mortgage, utilities, phone/internet bill, etc. if there are any funds leftover.
Before I leave you, I want to say thank you. Those words seem empty compared to how I really feel about those of you who are able to support us in this way, but those words are all I've got. So thank you. Truly. You have no idea how much your generosity means to us. Of course, in addition to this fundraiser, we also ask that you send your thoughts, prayers, good vibes, love, letters, emails, texts, memes, gifs, tiktoks, and other forms of encouragement our way. We will take anything and everything we can get to make it through this upcoming season of difficulty. Grace and peace to you all.
My previous experiences with chemo were, frankly, traumatic and by far the most difficult part (physically, mentally, and emotionally) of my last bout with cancer. And from what I've read and been told by my doctors, this new chemotherapy will likely be even more difficult from a side effects perspective than the chemotherapies I've had before. With that in mind, we're anticipating that I will largely be incapacitated (or at the very least severely hampered) for the next four months, which will make life extra difficult for Kayla and our six year old son, Rowan. Kayla will be juggling a full-time job, taking care of me when I need it, being a mother to a rambunctious and extroverted six year old who will be stuck at home with his boring parents for the foreseeable future because his school is closed due to the pandemic, attempting to take care of herself, and doing her normal everyday life stuff all while hardly ever leaving the house because my severely compromised immune system makes me profoundly susceptible to the wildly unregulated pandemic our country is experiencing right now.
That's where this fundraising campaign comes into play. What most people still don't realize about people fighting cancer or other life-threatening diseases is that the financial devastation of that situation can sometimes be the most difficult part of the whole thing. The stress that comes from trying to figure out how to make ends meet has defined the last few years of our lives and is rearing its ugly head again in a new way. But even with all of the financial stress we've experienced, we know that it would have been so much worse if it wasn't for things like Medicaid, the Affordable Care Act, and the incredible generosity of our friends, family members, and even people we've never met. It genuinely pains me to ask for money (yet again) during a time that is so financially difficult for so many people right now, but here we are. At the end of the day, please be wise, be thoughtful, and do what feels right to you. If you're in a position to be able to contribute, that's great. If you're not, that's great too (trust me; we understand as well as anybody).
Just know that for those of you who are able to give, even if it's only a dollar, we will be putting all of it towards (1) covering our health insurance plan's max-out-of-pocket expense for 2021, (2) covering the cost of things our insurance might not cover (such as genetic testing, psychotherapy, etc.), (3) take-out food from local businesses when we just don't have the energy to cook for ourselves, (4) other everyday expenses such as our mortgage, utilities, phone/internet bill, etc. if there are any funds leftover.
Before I leave you, I want to say thank you. Those words seem empty compared to how I really feel about those of you who are able to support us in this way, but those words are all I've got. So thank you. Truly. You have no idea how much your generosity means to us. Of course, in addition to this fundraiser, we also ask that you send your thoughts, prayers, good vibes, love, letters, emails, texts, memes, gifs, tiktoks, and other forms of encouragement our way. We will take anything and everything we can get to make it through this upcoming season of difficulty. Grace and peace to you all.