Help Edward in battling Stage 4 Lung Cancer
Donation protected
Dear friends, family, coworkers, neighbors...
Our dear friend Eddie recently received the devastating diagnosis of Stage IV non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). His specific type of lung cancer is adenocarcinoma and we know it has spread to the lymph nodes and his left femur. He is undergoing tests in the coming days to check (and hopefully rule out) other metastases.
This past December Eddie was experiencing pain in his upper left leg, which he initially thought was a muscle strain, so he delayed going to the doctor. In March he finally went to his primary doctor, who saw an abnormality in an MRI of Ed’s leg and then ordered a bone scan which showed a sizable tumor in his left femur, hence the leg pain. Ed intended to seek care at Sloan Kettering, and after a consultation, was scheduled to undergo a biopsy of the leg tumor on April 5th. While getting ready to head into NYC, Eddie’s left femur snapped, having been weakened by the tumor. Ed was taken by ambulance to the closest reputable hospital, Morristown Medical Center where he underwent a lengthy surgery to repair the femur and remove the tumor. A stroke of good fortune was that the surgeon on duty happened to be one of the few orthopedic oncologists in the country and feels that the entire tumor was removed. He will undergo radiation on the leg just to make sure all cancer cells are eradicated in the leg and now has some serious titanium hardware in his leg.
Eddie remained in Morristown Medical Center for three nights and was then transferred to Atrium Post Acute Care in Wayne, NJ, where has been working hard in physical therapy to get back up on his feet. On April 10th he met with his surgeon who cleared Ed only for toe-touch weight bearing, meaning only the toes on his left leg are able to contact the ground so he is using a walker and mainly gets around in a wheelchair.
Pleased with care he received at Morristown Medical Center, on April 19th Eddie met with oncologist Dr. Ramsey Asmar, in Morristown, who thoroughly explained Ed’s diagnosis and plan of action.
We are awaiting further test results and hoping that the cancer’s genetic makeup will be such that it will respond well to immunotherapy, which will stimulate Eddie’s immune system to recognize and destroy cancer the cells. If so, Keytruda will be the drug used and Eddie will have a port surgically placed so Keytruda can be administered via IV every three weeks.
We plan to update this page frequently, as things are still up in the air a bit, but in the meantime, as you can imagine, the financial burden has been and will continue to be enormous.
Ed is the type of person who never hesitates to help those in need, and we are hoping to give back to him in any way we can to alleviate some of this economic hardship. He cringed at the mention of us creating this page on his behalf, but he also recognizes the huge financial toll this disease will take on him.
Friends, it takes a village – please help in any way you can.
If you would like to/are able to assist with Eddie’s financial burden any donation would be greatly appreciated and no donation is too small. All funds raised will go directly to Eddie’s medical costs.
Thank you.
Our dear friend Eddie recently received the devastating diagnosis of Stage IV non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). His specific type of lung cancer is adenocarcinoma and we know it has spread to the lymph nodes and his left femur. He is undergoing tests in the coming days to check (and hopefully rule out) other metastases.
This past December Eddie was experiencing pain in his upper left leg, which he initially thought was a muscle strain, so he delayed going to the doctor. In March he finally went to his primary doctor, who saw an abnormality in an MRI of Ed’s leg and then ordered a bone scan which showed a sizable tumor in his left femur, hence the leg pain. Ed intended to seek care at Sloan Kettering, and after a consultation, was scheduled to undergo a biopsy of the leg tumor on April 5th. While getting ready to head into NYC, Eddie’s left femur snapped, having been weakened by the tumor. Ed was taken by ambulance to the closest reputable hospital, Morristown Medical Center where he underwent a lengthy surgery to repair the femur and remove the tumor. A stroke of good fortune was that the surgeon on duty happened to be one of the few orthopedic oncologists in the country and feels that the entire tumor was removed. He will undergo radiation on the leg just to make sure all cancer cells are eradicated in the leg and now has some serious titanium hardware in his leg.
Eddie remained in Morristown Medical Center for three nights and was then transferred to Atrium Post Acute Care in Wayne, NJ, where has been working hard in physical therapy to get back up on his feet. On April 10th he met with his surgeon who cleared Ed only for toe-touch weight bearing, meaning only the toes on his left leg are able to contact the ground so he is using a walker and mainly gets around in a wheelchair.
Pleased with care he received at Morristown Medical Center, on April 19th Eddie met with oncologist Dr. Ramsey Asmar, in Morristown, who thoroughly explained Ed’s diagnosis and plan of action.
We are awaiting further test results and hoping that the cancer’s genetic makeup will be such that it will respond well to immunotherapy, which will stimulate Eddie’s immune system to recognize and destroy cancer the cells. If so, Keytruda will be the drug used and Eddie will have a port surgically placed so Keytruda can be administered via IV every three weeks.
We plan to update this page frequently, as things are still up in the air a bit, but in the meantime, as you can imagine, the financial burden has been and will continue to be enormous.
Ed is the type of person who never hesitates to help those in need, and we are hoping to give back to him in any way we can to alleviate some of this economic hardship. He cringed at the mention of us creating this page on his behalf, but he also recognizes the huge financial toll this disease will take on him.
Friends, it takes a village – please help in any way you can.
If you would like to/are able to assist with Eddie’s financial burden any donation would be greatly appreciated and no donation is too small. All funds raised will go directly to Eddie’s medical costs.
Thank you.
Organizer
Edward F. Purtill
Organizer
West Milford, NJ