Faith over fear let's help Lila battle cancer together!

I’m in need of your prayers. A couple of weeks ago, I was diagnosed with Stage 4 Esophageal Cancer! Then last week, I had a PET scan which showed a small spot on my liver and my right adrenal gland. I also have it in a lymph node in my chest. I have only shared the news with my immediate family until now because I needed to process this in private on my own.

On Monday, the 19th, I have an appointment with MD Anderson in Houston. I will be there for 3-5 days, and they will run all the tests that they feel I need. So, I’m praying that their testing results will come out better and they will have a game plan to get rid of this. #CANCERSUCKS

Now, I would like to bring some awareness about Esophageal Cancer because it is called a silent cancer killer. By the time you have symptoms, it’s already there. If someone you know has acid reflux, please tell them to insist on having an Upper GI once a year.

In February, I started having problems eating. I could only eat about 4 bites of steak; other things I could get down fine, i.e., rice/gravy and vegetables. By March, I could only eat 2-3 bites of those things. It felt like everything was stuck in my chest, and if I took one bite too many, I was throwing up everything. So, I got the best appointment date I could get, which was April 16th. The doctor said he was all booked up, but because I could only eat soup at this point, he would fit me in the following Tuesday. The doctor said it was so big he could not get the scope past it.

I have to tell y'all it had only been 2 years since I had a scope. All this happened in 2 years.

It may be too late for me, but don’t let it be too late for your family or friends. One more thing I want to say: medication doesn’t stop it. I have been on 2 different kinds of acid reflux meds.

I know this is long, but I hope you read it all!

Sending Love To You All

PLEASE PRAY FOR ME AS WELL AS MY FAMILY.

Latest update 5/19/25

I know I haven’t posted anything since getting to Houston, so here is a little info. I actually have 3 spots on my liver, not just one. I have been unable to keep anything down since I’ve been here, so they gave me IV liquids today for dehydration. They say radiation is off the table for me due to the cancer being metastasized, but I will be getting a port put in and start chemo on Friday. I will leave with a pump and get it removed Sunday evening. This will continue indefinitely every 2 weeks. If the spots on my liver and adrenal gland go away with chemo, then I may be able to get radiation on the esophagus. They think after the 2nd chemo, I might be able to eat some real food again and not just broth/protein shakes.

Y’all, I haven’t been able to eat any crawfish this year, and that is disappointing. Ha ha

I’m trying to stay positive, and I will continue to fight.

If you have messaged me and I haven’t responded, I’m sorry. It feels like I’ve been here a whole week already because there are so many appointments and things I have to get done. But I will say MDA medical staff are amazing.

Please continue to pray for me. We all know with God, anything is possible.

We are asking for prayers and donations of any amount. Anything would help greatly. We know it's going to be a great financial burden when it comes to gas, medicines, hotel stays, and having to take time off work. We have continued FAITH that the Lord WILL make a way. We appreciate all your prayers and support!! We will be updating as we get them.

UPDATE: 5/28/25

Detailed update on Mom! On Friday, May 23rd, she began her first round of chemotherapy. Which started great but, by the end of the day, turned into pure agonizing pain. AS she began suffering from extreme nausea, vomiting, dry heaving, and excruciating stomach pain. She dealt with this continuously, for more than 24 hours straight, before going to a different hospital, to take in IV fluids and get help for the nausea. The fluids helped with dehydration but, nothing was really helping at all with the other symptoms, she was experiencing. She wasn't able to keep any medication down and nothing sublingual was working. Sunday, found her dealing with all of this, all over again throughout most of the day. The chemotherapy medication finally completed, that afternoon. She began to feel somewhat better Monday morning. , however she needded more IV fluids, since she had taken in no nutrients of any kind. This continued into Tuesday, where she had finally been able, to drink some liquids but, most of it came back up later in the day. Last night, she was able to actually sleep throughout the night and woke up feeling ok but, needed more IV fluids. Mom expressed to me, she doesn't know how people live through chemotherapy. There really is so much more in the specifics but, mom is extremely weak and trying to push through it all.

She is 9 days away from the next round of chemotherapy and will be staying in Houston, near MD Anderson so, she won't visit random hospitals, that don't know her treatment. Unfortunately, we haven't been able to get any lodging, through the hospital yet, therefore paying for a hotel near the hospital is our only option. Also, all patients must have caregivers with them and my Aunt Myra has been by her side every minute. This is all hands on deck, for our family and we can't thank everyone enough. All the calls, messages, donations, offers to help, and most importantly your prayers. We know our God can fix anything. Please, keep sending your prayers up! Honestly, beyond this, I'm just at a loss for words and going to just keep praying! I Love You mom! My wife Crystal has been posting updates on the gofundme page below and we are so thankful, for the much needed donations. This treatment is much more costly, than we all expected. Thank you from myself, my family, and most importantly My mom!