Help Dan Overcome Osteoradionecrosis

Hello, I'm Dan and find myself in the unfortunate situation of needing any help possible.

My friends already know this, but to set a little background, I beat Stage IV Tongue Cancer that metastasized in the soft tissue of my neck in 2014. To do so, it took an extremely complicated surgery that removed 3/4 of my tongue, part of my jawbone, and a reconstructed tongue. As part of that surgery, they put two brackets in my jaw to stabilize.

Following surgery (metastasis), I underwent 2 rounds of TPF chemo, followed by somewhere around 40 rounds of heavy radiation and 6 rounds of immunotherapy. While this did its job to kill the cancer, I was warned that osteonecrosis was a potential problem.

Fast forward to the day after Labor Day, and at work, I felt a pop, followed by shooting pain and some grinding in my jaw. I finished my work shift but went to the ER the next morning to get checked out. My worst fears were confirmed that the pop was, in fact, a screw breaking in the bracket, and instead of it stabilizing my jaw, it’s now scraping along my jawbone, further degrading the situation.

I had an appointment Wednesday, 9/18 with an ENT at Cleveland Clinic who confirmed the most likely diagnosis of osteoradionecrosis. The good news is no signs of cancer. The bad news is I’m going under the knife again for what will be a lengthy surgery and recovery time. I won’t say I’m “scared,” but I’m certainly uneasy, especially considering the unknowns. I fully trust the team that will be operating on me and will provide more information once I have it. The surgeon who will be operating on me basically pioneered the field and the exact procedures that I will need. The hard part is most likely, my surgery will require bone grafts which, from any digging I've done, require 3-6 months of healing time to mature.

Unfortunately, because I am still in a contract-to-hire position at my current employer, I don't have any kind of PTO or disability coverage, so while I'm trying to get through all of this, I’m going to be finding any way possible to take care of day-to-day expenses. I’m utilizing any available resources and agencies for help, but also understand there will be expenses that no agency can necessarily pick up the tab on. While I don't have an exact amount that I need, I can say that any amount matters and is greatly appreciated. All funds donated will be going directly into living expenses or co-pays on medications.

Thank you so much to everyone for your care and generosity.

Dan