Help Bruce Nelson and his fight to beat cancer

On March 24, after a few days of feeling really crappy, Bruce was admitted to the Pierre ER where they found his blood levels were dangerously low. Upon further testing, they found he was bleeding internally. The next day he had a procedure done showing a mass in his esophagus, his doctors were extremely concerned and he was immediately flown to the Sioux Falls hospital. After 7 blood transfusions, he was finally feeling a little bit better but then he received a life changing diagnosis.

Cancer.

The C-word. The word nobody likes to say. The word no one wants to hear. Adenocarcinoma of the esophagus. Bruce was released from the hospital a few days later and is currently undergoing an eight week chemo regimen called FLOT, which is numerous chemo meds in one. FLOT is a very aggressive chemo approach but it’s the best suited for him. Once Bruce finishes up this part of the treatment, he will need a procedure called an Esophagectomy where they remove the cancer and a large part of his esophagus and move his stomach into his chest, attaching it to the remaining esophagus. After he has healed from the surgery, he will resume another eight weeks of the aggressive FLOT chemo. We have an incredible team of doctors on his side and we are confident he will beat this!

Many of you know Bruce as the manager of DJ’s convenience store in Pierre, where he has worked for 22 years. But we know him as father to 3 and grandpa to 9!

Bruce is always the first one to help out when somebody needs it. He has two daughters in town who boast about being strong, independent women. However what many don’t know, is that he makes sure he clears their snow, mows their lawns and fixes all the things that go wrong around their houses. Most of the time, he’s not asked to do those things, but he does it because that’s who he is. He also has a son that lives in Rapid City and runs a successful auction company. Bruce knows how busy his son is and he spends many of his weekends in Rapid City helping, because that's the amazing man he is. He won't ask for help but he will help anyone else who needs it. That's why we, his children, are asking for help for him. Our father is facing an ever-increasing amount of expenses that add to the physical and emotional burden of his diagnosis. The treatments, medications, and doctor visits are just some of the many costs that he will have to bear.

Your donations will allow him to focus on his health and well-being without having to worry about the financial impact of his diagnosis.

We are also asking for help in spreading the word about Bruce's situation. Please share this on your social media page, with your friends and family, share via email, or any other platform that you think would help us reach more people. Every share could mean a potential donation that could make a real difference on the financial impact this is having on Bruce.

To this day, it still doesn’t seem real to say he has cancer, but he does and we all know cancer sucks. For us it sucks because a man we love has to undergo treatment that makes him feel not himself. It sucks because he isn’t able to be at work every day, visiting with customers and friends. It sucks because he isn't able to do all the things he enjoys.

Any amount you are able to donate is helpful and all the prayers you can say are needed! We are so thankful for every share of this gofundme we get!

There is also an account set up at BankWest for donations.

All our love, Derek, Danielle and Desiree and all of the Nelson Family