Help Doyle fight cancer

In 2015, my father Doyle was diagnosed with bladder cancer. Thankfully, his doctor caught it very early, and removed the low-grade tumor. Follow ups with his doctor revealed no new growths. My mom was instrumental in helping with those clear scans each year, providing healthy meals each day, and encouraging him to exercise.

For almost five years, my dad was cancer free and looking forward to the day he could retire. You see, my dad and mom had plans. Plans that involved rock hunting, visiting grandchildren, and enjoying the life and family my parents built together. But in April 2020, my dad knew something was wrong. Doctors discovered a high-grade tumor, and quickly scheduled surgery. Immunotherapy treatments were prescribed post op, and the process was at times very painful with complications landing him in the hospital.

Undaunted, he remained steadfast and trusted in God to heal him. With my mom by his side, my dad could face anything. His first follow up scan showed no new regrowth. We celebrated his recovery again, looking forward to him beating this cancer once and for all.

Yet something overshadowed his healing. My mom, the pinnacle of health and wellness, began complaining of a numb foot. Her doctor prescribed rest, and then after an MRI concluded she had a bulging disc. Nothing my superhero couldn’t handle. But the numbness persisted, quickly spreading into her leg, back, and head. After fighting with insurance to get another MRI, a CT scan revealed our worst nightmare – an inoperable ping pong sized mass in her left brain. My mom was diagnosed with a glioblastoma, the deadliest brain cancer you can get. My dad was blindsided. Completely devastated by her prognosis of only 12-18 months with treatment, and 6 weeks without it. My mom made the impossibly hard and courageous decision to forgo treatment, desiring to spend every single moment she had left without the side effects of chemo and radiation.

My dad dropped everything to be with her full time, taking a leave of absence and neglecting his own health. He did everything in his power to tend to her by making meals, helping her with medication, and carrying her when she lost functionality in her right side. He stood by her as the disease ravaged her body in record time. A seizure left my mom immobile in late October 2020, and she required full time care, with hourly dosing of medications to keep the constant seizing, inflammation, and pain at bay. He never left her side, brushing her hair, playing her favorite songs on his guitar, and praying over her. My mom lost her fight with cancer on Thanksgiving morning November 26, 2020. Only after the onslaught of her disease did my dad consider going in for a follow up for his own cancer. To our disbelief, his cancer had returned.

After removing the tumor in December of 2020, his doctor told him at his follow up that immunotherapy was not going to work anymore. The only option the doctor offered my dad was a complete removal of his bladder, prostate, urethra, and lymph nodes. Surgery on that scale is life changing and my dad was unconvinced that this was his only option. Researching other holistic and alternative treatments, my dad found a specialist in Dallas who believed that their treatment options such as low dose chemotherapy, IV fluids, specialized diet and therapy would heal his cancer.

However, as you may know, most healthcare providers will not cover out of network care, nor do they provide coverage for alternative medicine treatments. My father has already had to pay over $25,000 dollars of his own money to cover these expenses, while being out of work to receive the treatments each week. However, the benefits speak for themselves. His blood pressure and weight have dramatically improved, and a lingering eczema on his hands he’s hand for years is now gone. He will receive a PET scan and scope soon to determine if he has any new spots, but I am confident he is healed.

Imagine your cancer returning after 5 years of health. Imagine your wife of 43 years, suddenly seized by a malicious brain tumor that takes her life in 10 weeks. Imagine having to navigate life without her, while fighting your own battle to live, alone. Cancer has already taken my mother – I don’t want it to take my father too.

These funds will help my dad get the treatments, testing, lodging, and travel he needs to continue fighting this disease. Please, if you feel so led to contribute to his fight against cancer, my whole family would be forever grateful. Thank you for reading, and for your support.