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I created this page over a month ago but couldn’t post it. I struggle to find the words. I don’t talk about it because I can’t but I have to try, so here I go..April of 2020 we were told that my brother Danny had colon cancer. MY brother. How could that even be possible? He was 35. He is one of the good ones and if you have ever met him, within seconds, you know this to be true but cancer does not discriminate. So what do we do? We fight. Whatever the cost, whatever is needed, we do.
May 12, 2020 he had surgery. We expected 1 incision and 8 inches of the colon to be removed but instead he woke up to 6 incisions and 2 feet removed. It was a surprise but we were thankful and were praying this was the end of the journey.
He was considered to be cancer free after surgery but for the next year and a half he dealt with anemia, dizziness, fatigue, was extremely weak, had internal bleeding and had more trips to the ER then we could count. Was this normal after 2 feet of colon being removed? We had hoped so but we questioned everything. So what do we do? We fight. We fight from the inside out. He goes on an anti-inflammatory diet. Cuts out sugar, dairy and alcohol. It helps and we hope it’s enough.
December 2021 we were told the Cancer was back. Or did it ever really go away? He had his second surgery in January and another foot of colon removed. That’s 3 feet of colon in all and now the doctor asked him to do 6 months of chemo. That was a tough decision to make. Chemo is so harmful to your body. So many side effects, long and short term side effects to be considered. What does life after chemo look like? What if it doesn’t work? But he takes the risk. He doesn’t want to but he will do whatever it takes. So he fights. He fights for his family. He fights for my mom.
August 2022 he completed his last session of chemo. He looks good. He’s excited to be done with this chapter. We all are. We’re excited for him to LIVE and not just survive like he has been doing for almost 3 years. He’s excited to travel again and do whatever the hell he wants in life. Because he deserves it. He fought hard to be here and he’s not going to take anything for granted.
September 2022 he has more tests done to confirm he’s in the clear..but he’s not. The cancer metastasized. The doc says he now has cancer of the Peritoneum. Peritoneum cancer is rare and develops in a thin layer of tissue that lines the abdomen. Surgery is not an option but with other treatment the survival rate is 2 years. TWO YEARS. Can you imagine being told you MIGHT have 2 years to live? He’s 38. THIRTY EIGHT!
So what do we do? We fight. We switch doctors. We get 2nd, 3rd and 4th opinions. We look into alternative care. We can’t give up. We CAN’T. We won’t be okay without him. I need him. My older brother, my kids, my mom, we all NEED him.
Please help us fight. Please help us do whatever we need to do to keep my brother alive. This can’t be it. It just can’t.
May 12, 2020 he had surgery. We expected 1 incision and 8 inches of the colon to be removed but instead he woke up to 6 incisions and 2 feet removed. It was a surprise but we were thankful and were praying this was the end of the journey.
He was considered to be cancer free after surgery but for the next year and a half he dealt with anemia, dizziness, fatigue, was extremely weak, had internal bleeding and had more trips to the ER then we could count. Was this normal after 2 feet of colon being removed? We had hoped so but we questioned everything. So what do we do? We fight. We fight from the inside out. He goes on an anti-inflammatory diet. Cuts out sugar, dairy and alcohol. It helps and we hope it’s enough.
December 2021 we were told the Cancer was back. Or did it ever really go away? He had his second surgery in January and another foot of colon removed. That’s 3 feet of colon in all and now the doctor asked him to do 6 months of chemo. That was a tough decision to make. Chemo is so harmful to your body. So many side effects, long and short term side effects to be considered. What does life after chemo look like? What if it doesn’t work? But he takes the risk. He doesn’t want to but he will do whatever it takes. So he fights. He fights for his family. He fights for my mom.
August 2022 he completed his last session of chemo. He looks good. He’s excited to be done with this chapter. We all are. We’re excited for him to LIVE and not just survive like he has been doing for almost 3 years. He’s excited to travel again and do whatever the hell he wants in life. Because he deserves it. He fought hard to be here and he’s not going to take anything for granted.
September 2022 he has more tests done to confirm he’s in the clear..but he’s not. The cancer metastasized. The doc says he now has cancer of the Peritoneum. Peritoneum cancer is rare and develops in a thin layer of tissue that lines the abdomen. Surgery is not an option but with other treatment the survival rate is 2 years. TWO YEARS. Can you imagine being told you MIGHT have 2 years to live? He’s 38. THIRTY EIGHT!
So what do we do? We fight. We switch doctors. We get 2nd, 3rd and 4th opinions. We look into alternative care. We can’t give up. We CAN’T. We won’t be okay without him. I need him. My older brother, my kids, my mom, we all NEED him.
Please help us fight. Please help us do whatever we need to do to keep my brother alive. This can’t be it. It just can’t.