Help for Shawn Stroope

UPDATE 10/31/22

From Sarah: Good news!!! The treatment is working! There is one lymph node that contains malignancy near the liver, but it has shrunk since then the last scans in June. The best part is, the tumor on the liver is gone!! Shawn will have three more big treatments and then three smaller treatments. This will be followed by another PET scan after the first of the year. The Lord is good!

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UPDATE (8/8/22)

From Sarah: Shawn started chemo today. He did great. The nurse said he will probably feel ok for the next couple of days because she gave him a steroid with his meds. On about the third day, he will start experiencing the side effects. She also told us that it will be a cumulative experience. Each treatment will probably bring more intense side effects. I say all that to say, if you try texting him later in the week, he may not respond due to how he is feeling. He’s ready to fight though. We go Wednesday to have his infuser removed (with which he will continue taking chemo for 48 hours). We love you all and I will continue to keep you posted. Thank you for all of the prayers and support.

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UPDATE (7/28/22)

From Sarah: I know I haven’t sent an update in a while, but we’ve just been going to various appts as of late. Yesterday, Shawn and I attended a Chemo 101 class. It was a ton of information and really helped in preparing us for what is to come ( as far as treatment and side affects). Today, Shawn is getting his port put in as I type this. They did just tell us that his last couple of blood tests showed that his platelet count was really high. Not sure what that is about. Will be contacting his oncologist. ( That info was from the surgeons). August 8th will be his first day of chemo. Shawn is in good spirits. He’s still experiencing some pain from the surgery, but it’s better than it was. He has also finally started gaining weight ( praise the Lord!). However, one of the side affects of the chemo is weight loss. Keep praying! We are trusting the Lord and are going to fight with everything we have ( all of you know Shawn well enough to know that’s how he does things). We love you all so much and are just in awe of the love and support we have received. I cannot tell you thank you enough for everything. ❤️

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UPDATE (7/21/22)

From Sarah: We went to see the surgeon today and he removed all of Shawn’s staples for his surgery. While we were there, his doctor set up his appointment for the surgery to put in his port. We will also have a chemo class to attend next week where we will find out all of the good, bad and ugly potentially ahead. Shawn is starting to finally get an appetite. The main plan right now is to fatten him up so he can tolerate the chemo. I will continue to update everyone as things happen. We love you and thank the Lord for each of you.

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UPDATE (7/19/22)

From Sarah: Hello Friends. I know many of you have been waiting to hear what we learned today at the oncology visit so here it is:

Shawn has been diagnosed with stage 4 adenocarcinoma. The biopsy for the liver was positive for cancer. That means the cancer started in the colon and has spread to the lymph nodes and liver. Shawn’s doctor, Dr. Veluvolu, is going to treat Shawn with chemotherapy. Before he can start, however, he will have to heal more from his surgery and he has to gain some weight. He has lost quite a bit since his surgery. Treatment will start at the beginning of August. The doctor said that most people who receive this treatment have a good 28 months but he is hopeful for more.

How you can pray: Pray that Shawn is able to put on weight so he is strong enough to handle the chemo. That doesn’t mean we need food right now, he just needs an appetite.

Pray and believe that we will have more than 28 months.

This has been a big day for Shawn. If you text or call, he probably won’t respond. In Shawn fashion, he is in good spirits and standing firm in his Faith. He is just worn out and experiencing pain from so much activity.

We love you and thank the Lord that all of you are in our lives. Thank you again for all of the prayers, love, and support. I will keep you updated as we continue down this road.

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UPDATE (7/11/22):

From Sarah: "We are going home!!!! Shawn is being discharged. I will take him home to finish recovering. He is still experiencing some pain but is strong enough to handle it at home. The results of the liver biopsy did not come back before our discharge so we will have to wait to hear from his surgeon for those results. I will keep everyone updated once we get them. Like I said before, his oncology appt is July 19. That is when we will find out what the rest of this journey will look like. Once again, we love you all and are blessed to have you in our lives."

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UPDATE (7/10/22):

From Sarah: "Well, we aren’t going home today. However, he’s slowly moving into a better place. He’s been running fever for the past three days. The doctors feel like it is a result of the liver biopsy. We will have those results tomorrow. He also has been having sessions with a respiratory therapist which have helped him with the air and gas in his body. Following these sessions, he has been coughing up stuff from his lungs which is a good thing. They did take out his right drain but are leaving the left one in because it is still putting out. We are praying that he will be able to go home soon. Once again, we love you all and are so grateful for each one of you. We are blessed to have you in our lives and thank the Lord for your friendship."

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UPDATE (7/9/22):

"Hey!

It's the real Shawn Stroope ™️

This morning I was beside myself in pain. I asked Daniel to walk the halls and pray with me. When we got back, he asked if I needed anything else. I hesitated, then I randomly asked him to hit on my upper back like a respiratory therapist. I let out a loud belch, leaving me 3 solid hours of relief. 2 hours later it came back. So we walked, prayed, he he played Journey on my back again.

2 hours later, this didn't work. I told the attendants in charge that I couldn't live like this. So much trapped air that I would stop breathing for 7 seconds at a time, involuntarily. I asked the nurses to please set up an appointment with a respiratory therapist. Well within the hour, Caravan band mate Tonya Sikes came by and gave me treatments. She worked a lot of that mess out of there. Complete relief after weeks of being in pain to breathe. I'll receive them every 4 hours. God is so Good!

Now leave all of your semi-colon jokes below in the comments. Then when I see all of you, we can talk about YOU and not me. Thank you all for everything! ™️"

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UPDATE (7/8/22):

From Sarah: "Shawn had the liver biopsy yesterday. He ended up sleeping most of the day. We should know the results by Monday. The night, as usual, was a little more eventful but not bad. He seems to be doing better today than he has been. The hiccups and air pains are subsiding. The doctor told us yesterday that there is a chance we could go home this weekend. I pray that is the case. I will keep everyone posted if that happens. Once again, thank you for everything. We are so blessed to have each and everyone of you in our lives. We love love you all more than you know."

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UPDATE (7/6/22):

From Sarah: "Shawn is still in pain but is better than yesterday. He is extremely sensitive to sound. We have to keep it very quiet in the room. The doctor came and said that we will do the liver biopsy today or tomorrow. I’m thinking tomorrow at this point. We already have an appointment set up with the oncologist for July 19th. The surgeon told us today that he will run a test in the gallbladder to see how much of it is functioning. He seems to feel like we can hold off doing anything with it until December.

On a very positive note, they moved us to a much bigger room. For those of you who are not aware, our former room was tiny. We are SO grateful. Please keep checking in for visits though. He is requesting no visits due to his pain level. Please keep praying. We love you all and are blown away by all of the love and support you are giving us. It makes a really hard situation much more bearable. Thank you for everything."

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UPDATE (7/6/22):

Some good news: scans have shown no internal perforation or rupture at the surgery site. However, Shawn's gallbladder is enlarged for some reason, but that is not the doctors' immediate concern. Right now, they are using meds to get rid of the excess air inside Shawn's stomach. That is what is causing him such pain. Keep praying!

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UPDATE (7/5/22):

Shawn had a rough weekend. The first couple of days after the colon surgery, he had improved to the point of being unhooked from everything. No IV, oxygen, pain meds. He was really feeling so much better. And he was told that he could starting eating soft foods. On Saturday evening, Shawn was given some food by the hospital that he was not supposed to have been given. That night he suffered excruciating pain and intense vomiting. Since then, he has regressed. He is back on several medications to calm his stomach and help with the pain. He is about get a CT scan this morning to make sure nothing happened internally during the vomiting. 

Tests have been taken on some of Shawn's lymph nodes. 6 of the 28 tests were positive for cancer. This indicates that the cancer has spread in his body. We are still waiting for the needle biopsy of the spot on his liver. From Sarah: "Please keep praying...right now, more for his strength and peace of mind. He's tired of feeling miserable. Thank you again for your love and support. We love you all."

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Our friend Shawn Stroope is fighting cancer. Last week he went to the ER with intense stomach pain. Scans found a mass in his colon and one on his liver. A biopsy showed the tumor in his colon to be cancerous. He has already had successful surgery (on 6/28) to remove the tumor from his colon. He is recovering well from that procedure and his attitude is great. Doctors plan to biopsy the spot on his liver early next week (hopefully on 7/5). We are praying that the spot on this liver is either unrelated to the colon cancer, or that it got there from direct contact with the colon. Please pray that the cancer has not reached his lymphatic system. As many of you know, Shawn enters this fight in pretty much the best shape of his life. That's good! All of his numbers/levels are perfect, including the enzymes associated with his liver.

 

You will be thankful to know that Shawn and Sarah have great insurance. They would not want us to think that they are in dire straits. (Mark Knopfler is cool, though!) But, their friends know that their income has taken a hit since Shawn is unable to play his usual 6-7 gigs per week. He has already been in the hospital for over a week, and we can't be sure how long he will be unable to work. We hope it won't be long! In the meantime, while we look forward to hearing Stroope play bass again, we don't want any bills, notes, or deductibles to stress him out. Whatever money you donate here will help relieve that potential stress.

 

Thank you for helping our friend! You can check back here for periodic updates on his progress.