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On October 7th Brad was diagnosed with testicular cancer. What many may not know is that testicular cancer is one of the few types of cancer that can be diagnosed and staged by reading tumor markers with a blood draw. In Brad’s case, an ultra sound and CT scan supported the indication of the cancerous tumor’s presence.
On October 12th he underwent surgery to remove the tumor.
Hopes were high that the cancer had been isolated to the testis and the surgery alone would cure Brad.
On October 19th he had a post-surgical appointment with Dr. Padin. By that time pathology of the tumor had been evaluated, and a second blood draw to check the post-op tumor markers confirmed that the cancer was still present.
At this time, it is inconclusive where the cancer remains.
Consequently Brad will be undergoing chemotherapy. Due to the complexities of his case, it is yet to be known the exact cocktail of chemotherapy that will be administered. Depending on what is determined to be the most effective course of treatment he will go through 3-4 21 day cycles of chemo consecutively.
In the coming week Brad will have a thorough battery of testing done and on Tuesday he will go under general anesthesia to have a port placed in his chest for the chemo to be administered through. It is the hope of his oncologist that the first cycle of chemo will begin within just a few days afterward.
Some of you may know that when Brad was 15 years old he was diagnosed with Testicular Cancer for the first time. Testicular cancer occurs in less than 20,000 patients a year in the US and is considered very rare. The percentage of men that get testicular cancer twice is just 1.9%.
Brad will qualify for short term disability through his employer, but it can take up to 21 days to receive approval and there is a 7 day waiting period that he would not receive back-pay for. The short term disability will be less than his usual earnings. Brad is the main source of income for he and Brittany’s household. In addition to the daily chemo treatments, which the out-of-pocket cost is yet to be known, he will be traveling to Pittsburgh to see a geneticist to try and learn more about the root of the cancer and where it is coming from. His doctors are hoping that he will qualify as a participant in a study to get the geneticist’s fees covered, but there is no guarantee. The medical bills for the surgery he’s already had will be rolling in any day.
Your donations will go toward basic living expenses, the travel and medical bills. Our goal is to take one worry out of this equation.
On October 12th he underwent surgery to remove the tumor.
Hopes were high that the cancer had been isolated to the testis and the surgery alone would cure Brad.
On October 19th he had a post-surgical appointment with Dr. Padin. By that time pathology of the tumor had been evaluated, and a second blood draw to check the post-op tumor markers confirmed that the cancer was still present.
At this time, it is inconclusive where the cancer remains.
Consequently Brad will be undergoing chemotherapy. Due to the complexities of his case, it is yet to be known the exact cocktail of chemotherapy that will be administered. Depending on what is determined to be the most effective course of treatment he will go through 3-4 21 day cycles of chemo consecutively.
In the coming week Brad will have a thorough battery of testing done and on Tuesday he will go under general anesthesia to have a port placed in his chest for the chemo to be administered through. It is the hope of his oncologist that the first cycle of chemo will begin within just a few days afterward.
Some of you may know that when Brad was 15 years old he was diagnosed with Testicular Cancer for the first time. Testicular cancer occurs in less than 20,000 patients a year in the US and is considered very rare. The percentage of men that get testicular cancer twice is just 1.9%.
Brad will qualify for short term disability through his employer, but it can take up to 21 days to receive approval and there is a 7 day waiting period that he would not receive back-pay for. The short term disability will be less than his usual earnings. Brad is the main source of income for he and Brittany’s household. In addition to the daily chemo treatments, which the out-of-pocket cost is yet to be known, he will be traveling to Pittsburgh to see a geneticist to try and learn more about the root of the cancer and where it is coming from. His doctors are hoping that he will qualify as a participant in a study to get the geneticist’s fees covered, but there is no guarantee. The medical bills for the surgery he’s already had will be rolling in any day.
Your donations will go toward basic living expenses, the travel and medical bills. Our goal is to take one worry out of this equation.
Organizer and beneficiary
Brittany Farren
Beneficiary