I am creating this GoFundMe on behalf of my ex-husband. Who happens to be one of my very closest friends and who is truly a wonderful person and an amazing father to our two boys. This past Monday, February 13th, Mike was diagnosed with Stage 3 Esophageal Cancer. He will need both aggressive chemotherapy and radiation treatments to hopefully shrink the tumor enough to do the surgery required to remove it. The Oncology Surgeon said that full recovery from the surgery could take up to 1 year. He also has several lesions on his bladder that are not associated with the Cancer. He has an appointment with a Urologist to get biopsies of those as well on March 9th.

Mike has not been able to properly swallow food or water for about 7 weeks now. He has lost a considerable amount of weight. He had made several Drs appts to figure it all out. All Drs were booked solid and his appts were scheduled for later this month into next month. It took myself and one doctor to finally convince him to go to the ER. Thankfully he went last Friday (2/10). They were able to put a stent in his esophagus to help him swallow. As his body desperately needs the nutrients and strength to fight this.

Mike, like so many others, lives paycheck to paycheck. While he does have health insurance, it only covers so much. My concern, financially, is that he is able to pay his rent, his bills, co-pays, deductible, medications. While he does plan to try to continue to work for as long as his body will let him, my goal is to help alleviate any stress of financial hardship while he fights this Cancer. Our boys have been through so much in their short lives. They have lost both of their grandmothers (in the last 6 years) to Cancer. They are not losing their father. I will do anything I can to help make sure that he gets everything he needs to beat this.

While Mike is fighting this Cancer with all that his has, I am fighting for him and our boys to have some kind of normalcy through it all. Our boys are already suffering in a way that I can’t explain. I do not want them worried that their father can’t pay his rent, bills, etc because he can’t work.

As I write this, I am still in shock and in some kind of denial. But the truth is, we are scared. And anything will help. A donation (no matter how small). A share of this post. A prayer.

And Thank you to all who took the time to read this. Please keep our family in your thoughts and prayers. Xo

I will post updates as I get them. Thank you again.