Fundraiser for Brian Lance

Hi there! My name is Beth, and Brian, Charlene and Haylie are dear friends/family of my family. Charlenes sister Cheryl and I wanted to start this in order to help lighten the load for this precious family.

On September 28th, 2018, Brian Lance was diagnosed with a Glioblastoma Brain Tumor. With a beautiful wife and 14 year old daughter that he desperately wants more time with, he faced this giant head on, and Brian underwent his first surgery on October 3, 2018. The surgeon removed as much of the tumor as humanly possible. The terrible thing about this cancer is that it is microscopic and into the brain where the human eye cannot see. The initial surgery though provided Brian with some much needed relief from the terrible symptoms he’d been experiencing, and allowed him precious time and memories made with the people he loves most.

After surgery Brian completed many rounds of chemotherapy and radiation. You can imagine the toll this has taken on his body, but being the trooper that he is, he powered through with a goal in mind♥️ Exploring every avenue humanly possible, his sister in law Cheryl found a clinical trial at Duke University that Brian qualified for! It was an immunotherapy clinical trial that was very intensive. Brian received very painful injections into his groin and lymph nodes. The medication was designed to attack the tumor cells. There were many overnight trips back and forth to Duke, and the treatments were successful in preventing further growth until the end of July when an MRI showed a 2 cm growth in the tumor within 2 months. 

This news was heartbreaking to Brian, his family and friends. He no longer qualified for the trial at Duke and had important decisions to make. This is not a curable cancer, and so typical treatments will not help. So when Brian heard of another trial at Duke, he felt like he needed to do everything that he possibly could to fight this monster. So on August 12th 2019 Brian underwent another surgery to insert a port directly into the tumor and he received a clinical trial drug, which was a pseudo virus, in hopes that it would destroy the tumor from the inside out. And that brings us to the last two weeks.

For the past few weeks, Brian has started experiencing many symptoms and we learned today, that it's most likely due to the tumor growing.  He has trouble walking and is falling.  He cannot read, type, text, write and is starting to struggle with the day to day tasks such as eating and bathing.  He, Charlene, Haylie and those closest to him are obviously scared of the uncertainty.  Brian can't go back into work unless his symptoms improve due to his own safety.  And Anyone who knows what a hard worker he is, knows how frustrating this is for him. Charlene must work and may have to hire someone to be with him while she’s away.   They have a very small shower and are in need of making the shower handicap accessible so he can be rolled into the shower and in the near future, other handicap needs will be needed.  He's also lost peripheral vision in one of his eyes .  As you can imagine, the medical bills are pilling and travel expenses to and from Duke are adding  up so quickly.  

I know now how many people care for Brian, Charlene and Haylie. I know they have touched so many lives and are loved by so many. My prayer is that we as their friends and family can rally around them, BE the church, and help carry them through this terrible season. Please consider donating any amount, as much as you can afford. And also share with your family, friends, and acquaintances. We can make a huge difference for this family♥️ God bless you!