The Story

My name is Alex Alcanter, I and my sisters Natalie and Cara are setting up this GoFundMe page for the benefit of our father, Ben Alcanter.  On December 8th of 2019, Ben was dignosed with Adenocarcinoma of the Stomach, which is cancer that forms in mucus-secreting glands throughout the body.  The news came as a shock, and all of us struggled to cope with reality after hearing about it.  The hardest part was waiting for tests to come back on the cancer stage and to find out more information.  On December 20th of 2019, a large stomach tumor was identified as Stage 2,  diagnosed as T2N2 which involves the greater curvature and anterior wall of the body of the stomach.  The T2 represents the tumor and it has grown into the muscle layer of the stomach, and N2 represents 4 cancerous regional lymph nodes were identified.  As of now the cancer has not spread anywhere else in the body and it makes us feel hopeful.  We are all trying to remain strong, being positive, praying, and learning how to take one day at a time.  Our father has always gone out of his way to be loving and supportive to all of us, as we grew up.  He is now a loving grandfather to my sisters' children and continues to be a monument of support that he has always been. 

The Cancer Treatment Plan

Ben had his first Chemotherapy treatment on December 31, 2019 and will continue every 2 weeks for the next 2 months.  Then there will be a small 4-6 week break where the doctors re-evaluate the tumor.  Afterwards, he will need to undergo an extensive stomach surgery to remove about 1/3 to 2/3 of his stomach to remove the tumor and lymph nodes.  After the surgery he will need to recover in the hospital for the next 7-10 days, and then he will be sent back home to recover for the next 12-16 weeks.  During this time, he will only be getting his nutritional requirements from tube feedings needed to bypass his stomach as his body heals.  This is expected to be the toughest period, he will not be able to work and will not have any income to support himself and our mother during this time. He is aware of just how difficult this battle is going to be, physically, mentally and emotionally, but he refuses to go down without a fight. 

How Donations Will Help?

With this diagnosis, our father is going to go through a long and difficult battle with extensive medical costs.  We are fearful of the total cost between the 2 months of chemotherapy, the extensive stomach surgery, and then followed by 16 weeks recovering at home and more chemotherapy post surgery. Ben will not be able to work or help support his household.  Even with health insurance, it will not be enough  to cover the hospital stays, chemo, surgery and any additional medical costs that come with it. In addition, he will be requiring expensive home health care to administer his tube feedings and other medical needs while he heals. With him being out of work for such a long time, we are concerned for our father and mother's financial stability and living expenses during that period.  Donations will be put towards helping with the treatment costs as well as surgery recovery.

The Fight Begins

After all of Dad's testing and his PET scan was back, my dad qualified for a Stomach Cancer Trial at KU Medical Center.  This trial consists of an Immunotherapy drug added into the treatment plan given 3 times, every 3 weeks with Chemotherapy.  Ben began his first round of Chemotherapy and Immunotherapy on December 31st, which will continue for the next 2 months.  His surgery will be taking place in April with the recovery time expected to last 3-4 months. 
  
Ben's wife, Debbie of 36 years by his side for his 1st Treatment.

No One Fights Alone

Thank you for taking the time to read our family's story.  Our dad is strong and brave, however he cannot do this alone.  Ben is a "Warrior" who needs an "army" to help support him through his fight against Stomach Cancer.  Any donation, no matter how small is greatly appreciated and will be used to help Ben throughout the course of his battle.  We know not everyone can donate money, however please keep our dad and family in your prayers throughout his journey. We don't only need support with money, but we also need emotional and spiritual support. Also we cannot express how greatful we are for everyone who can help support our family in a time of need.  All of us will be posting updates on Ben and his treatment as they come.

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts,
                                                                                           
Alex Alcanter, Natalie Sciole , and Cara Fuqua