Update on 11/19/25: Marty will be having his next PET scan on 12/8/25 (was supposed to be on 12/30/25 but needed to get moved up because he has been having concerning symptoms)...called his oncologist on Monday and he said to be safe and get a sooner scan...he's been put back on the prayer list at church, but if you all could send some positive thoughts and prayers his way, we both would appreciate it...also, we are still struggling to pay all the copays from his 8 chemo sessions, surgery, and then 6 more chemo sessions...thank you all so very much
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On 7/8/2024, my husband Martin "Marty" Wiatrowski was sent to the ER after seeing our primary care doctor because his skin was turning yellow. There, they did a CT scan and discovered he had a tumor in his pancreas and a blocked common bile duct. On 7/10/24, he underwent surgery to place a stent in his common bile duct, an endoscopic ultrasound, and a biopsy of the tumor and lymph nodes near that tumor. He was sent directly to an oncologist with stage 2b pancreatic cancer. The oncologist suggested starting chemo. On 7/29/24, Marty had a port placed to receive the chemo, and he started chemo on 8/5/24. A recommendation from a friend suggested he go to Dr. Yeo at Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia, PA. I took him to see Dr. Yeo, and his advice was to have 6 sessions of chemo and then have another CT scan to see if the tumor shrunk any. After 5 chemo sessions, he had an updated CT scan on 10/8/24. His tumor shrunk from 3cm to 2cm, and Dr. Yeo agreed to take him on for surgery. He had his 8th and last chemo session on 11/11/24, and Dr. Yeo agreed to perform a "mini Whipple surgery" on Marty on 12/13/24.
As of right now, the copay, so far, for surgery day is $350; however, the surgery itself is a 7-hour surgery and can run $50,000 at minimum. He has insurance, but insurance will not cover it all. We are asking for help from family and friends. Any amount would be helpful. If unable to donate, please keep him in your prayers. I'm not ready to lose him anytime soon. Thank you in advance for anything, even if you just took the time to read his story and are willing to send prayers. Thank you so much.