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My wonderful wife of over 20 years, Terreisa, and our two daughters – Whitney and Geneva – along with many close friends and family have encouraged me to start this page to help with extensive medical bills, travel expenses and to ultimately keep from losing everything we have. Some of you may know me and for the rest, here is a little backstory about me and what ultimately has brought me to creating this GoFundMe page.
As a military veteran I actively served for four year in the Army as a 2nd Armor Division Forward stationed in Germany during the end of the Cold War, our life expectancy was often told to us to be “less than 5 minutes if we ever got invaded”. So, I suppose you could say that knowing I could die at any given moment has long been a part of my reality, but also what has driven me to always be active and live life while I can for as long as I can. After getting out of the military 1989, I went to Wyoming Technical (WyoTech) for my certification in mechanics. The day after graduating in the top of my class, I left my home state for Alaska with a job as a mechanic for a GM dealership in Fairbanks, AK.
I worked for GM for 12 years until an on-the-job injury, a dropped engine crushing my wrist, forced me out of work. Following two surgeries and a years-worth of time off the job I wanted to return to work, however circumstances would prevent me from returning to my old job. So instead of staying home waiting for the door to reopen, I bought a Snap-on Tool franchise. For the next 15 years, myself, my wife and our two daughters would build this business into being the Top Regional Franchise in the NW Region (Alaska, Washington, Oregon, Montana, Idaho, N. California). In addition to running the family business, my wife and I competed in many rodeo events around Fairbanks, me a mounted shooter and her a barrel racer. Outside of these events, we often rode horseback throughout the beautiful Alaskan wilderness.
With medical marijuana becoming legalized in Alaska, my wife Terreisa saw a good opportunity to invest in this new and in demand market. We opened Blue Bear Cannafarms in 2015, began building a small grow operation business supplying medical grade marijuana to dispensaries around Alaska. She ran the Blue Bear Cannafarms operations, while I continued to run the Snap-On franchise. Both of our girls were now grown up and off living in Pennsylvania. For two years, we did moderately successful running two independent businesses.
Unbeknownst to us, the successes we were experiencing would suddenly change in November 2017 when I was diagnosed with a rare liposarcoma with a huge tumor in my right leg. The treatment options available for my tumor were limited in Alaska and after a 25-day stint of radiation would prove unsuccessful in reducing the tumor, I was forced to begin looking for treatment options outside of the state. Finally, we were able to locate a surgeon willing to take on removing the tumor in my leg which had now grown to 24cm (about 10 inches) and in February 2018, we flew to Seattle for surgery. The surgery was extensive, involving removal of muscle in my thigh resulting in a permanent loss of some functioning. Ruger, my service dog, would become a wound ward hero and kept me company during my recovery.
After three weeks of recovery in Seattle, we would return home and it would take an additional six months before I mostly recovered from the invasive and expensive procedure. Post-surgery treatment would end up being extension, requiring weekly draining of the wound – a $5000/week expense not covered by insurance. Unfortunately, this cancer and treatment would ultimately take its toll on the family finances, and as a result, I was forced into an early retirement as I had to sell the Snap-On franchise in July 2018. Selling the business was hard, but we hoped to have bought some time with surgery, but as they say, there is always a 50/50 chance the cancer could come back.
And as luck would have it, the dice wouldn’t roll my way as the cancer metastasized and would appear as a nodule in my left lung in the early winter of 2019. This would be treated with another round of radiation which did irradiate the nodule. But later that year, a new tumor would appear in my right lung – well, between the lung and the rib cage – rendering it “inoperable”. My doctors in Alaska attempted to treat this new tumor with chemotherapy, however, the tumor not only did not response but rather continued to grow. Options rapidly evaporating, my wife and I sought alternative treatments options, even if it meant leaving her in Alaska to manage the business, we were just barely three years into.
Two clinical trials presented themselves – one in New York and one in Seattle – however, while acceptance into a clinical trial would potentially present treatment opportunities it would also mean leaving my wife, kids and my home. But not just them my friends and neighbors. On top of moving away from my community, joining a clinical trial would create additional expenses for traveling and dual residences. Despite the mounting hurdles and guaranteed financial burden, we decided pursuing the clinical trials that might give us a longer future together.
As I waited for acceptance into a trial, bad lady luck would strike again, when on Christmas day, Blue Bear Cannafarms would suffer a catastrophic loss when a blown light bulb would burn the entire grow operation to the ground. While the business was covered by insurance – at the time the solo insurer for legal marijuana grows in Alaska – our claim was denied for a small print technicality. Not only were we already facing the mounting costs of my cancer treatment, but we now faced a massive financial loss around $400,000 of product and damage to the building. Despite the loses we were facing in the business and dead ends for treatment for my cancer, we continued forward.
In January 2020, I finally got accepted into an experimental immunotherapy clinical study in Seattle, right as COVID started in the US. Because of the requirements of the trial treatment schedule and stay-at-home orders because of the pandemic, I would move to Washington, along with Ruger, in February while Terreisa, with the assistance of our daughter Whitney now co-managing the company, remained back in Alaska working to rebuild the business following the fire. While in Seattle, the clinical trial alternated between immunotherapy and chemotherapy from week to week, and the tumor was responding to the treatment. Over the course of the 8 months the tumor began to shrink and there seemed to be a bit of a light appearing on the horizon. But this was tempered by the building financial burden we were facing for medical expenses, travel, and the continued effort to rebuild the business. As a result, we have had to sell our horses, cash in two life insurance policies and three retirement accounts just to stay afloat.
In October 2020, the lead doctor of the clinical trial took a job somewhere else and effectively the trial came to a sudden end. The treatment had been working and my oncologist said that now without the restrictions of the trial, I could continue my treatments back in Alaska. I was able to go home right before Thanksgiving and spend time with family over the holidays while continuing my treatments in Fairbanks. The ability to remain at home doing treatments would be short lived as the once shrinking tumor would suddenly reverse course begin growing again. Options limited in Alaska, once again I am back to Seattle with Ruger continuing treatments with the hope that yet again a new round of radiation.
Explain how the funds will be used
We are asking for financial help to pay off the hundreds of thousands of dollars in medical bills not already covered by insurance that are rapidly mounting due to lack of income, offset the expense of traveling back and forth between Alaska and Seattle, and to help make ends meet and relieve some of the stress from my wife and daughter who work every day to keep the lights on. Despite the fact I have been selling everything I can, the additional stress of worrying about losing my home, where I am forced to be away from even helping, is adding to the already stressful nature of going through treatment. Any contributions would be appreciated, and all funds will go towards paying off current medical debt, living expenses, and travel costs related to dealing with my cancer treatments.
My wonderful wife of over 20 years, Terreisa, and our two daughters – Whitney and Geneva – along with many close friends and family have encouraged me to start this page to help with extensive medical bills, travel expenses and to ultimately keep from losing everything we have. Some of you may know me and for the rest, here is a little backstory about me and what ultimately has brought me to creating this GoFundMe page.
As a military veteran I actively served for four year in the Army as a 2nd Armor Division Forward stationed in Germany during the end of the Cold War, our life expectancy was often told to us to be “less than 5 minutes if we ever got invaded”. So, I suppose you could say that knowing I could die at any given moment has long been a part of my reality, but also what has driven me to always be active and live life while I can for as long as I can. After getting out of the military 1989, I went to Wyoming Technical (WyoTech) for my certification in mechanics. The day after graduating in the top of my class, I left my home state for Alaska with a job as a mechanic for a GM dealership in Fairbanks, AK.
I worked for GM for 12 years until an on-the-job injury, a dropped engine crushing my wrist, forced me out of work. Following two surgeries and a years-worth of time off the job I wanted to return to work, however circumstances would prevent me from returning to my old job. So instead of staying home waiting for the door to reopen, I bought a Snap-on Tool franchise. For the next 15 years, myself, my wife and our two daughters would build this business into being the Top Regional Franchise in the NW Region (Alaska, Washington, Oregon, Montana, Idaho, N. California). In addition to running the family business, my wife and I competed in many rodeo events around Fairbanks, me a mounted shooter and her a barrel racer. Outside of these events, we often rode horseback throughout the beautiful Alaskan wilderness.
With medical marijuana becoming legalized in Alaska, my wife Terreisa saw a good opportunity to invest in this new and in demand market. We opened Blue Bear Cannafarms in 2015, began building a small grow operation business supplying medical grade marijuana to dispensaries around Alaska. She ran the Blue Bear Cannafarms operations, while I continued to run the Snap-On franchise. Both of our girls were now grown up and off living in Pennsylvania. For two years, we did moderately successful running two independent businesses.
Unbeknownst to us, the successes we were experiencing would suddenly change in November 2017 when I was diagnosed with a rare liposarcoma with a huge tumor in my right leg. The treatment options available for my tumor were limited in Alaska and after a 25-day stint of radiation would prove unsuccessful in reducing the tumor, I was forced to begin looking for treatment options outside of the state. Finally, we were able to locate a surgeon willing to take on removing the tumor in my leg which had now grown to 24cm (about 10 inches) and in February 2018, we flew to Seattle for surgery. The surgery was extensive, involving removal of muscle in my thigh resulting in a permanent loss of some functioning. Ruger, my service dog, would become a wound ward hero and kept me company during my recovery.
After three weeks of recovery in Seattle, we would return home and it would take an additional six months before I mostly recovered from the invasive and expensive procedure. Post-surgery treatment would end up being extension, requiring weekly draining of the wound – a $5000/week expense not covered by insurance. Unfortunately, this cancer and treatment would ultimately take its toll on the family finances, and as a result, I was forced into an early retirement as I had to sell the Snap-On franchise in July 2018. Selling the business was hard, but we hoped to have bought some time with surgery, but as they say, there is always a 50/50 chance the cancer could come back.
And as luck would have it, the dice wouldn’t roll my way as the cancer metastasized and would appear as a nodule in my left lung in the early winter of 2019. This would be treated with another round of radiation which did irradiate the nodule. But later that year, a new tumor would appear in my right lung – well, between the lung and the rib cage – rendering it “inoperable”. My doctors in Alaska attempted to treat this new tumor with chemotherapy, however, the tumor not only did not response but rather continued to grow. Options rapidly evaporating, my wife and I sought alternative treatments options, even if it meant leaving her in Alaska to manage the business, we were just barely three years into.
Two clinical trials presented themselves – one in New York and one in Seattle – however, while acceptance into a clinical trial would potentially present treatment opportunities it would also mean leaving my wife, kids and my home. But not just them my friends and neighbors. On top of moving away from my community, joining a clinical trial would create additional expenses for traveling and dual residences. Despite the mounting hurdles and guaranteed financial burden, we decided pursuing the clinical trials that might give us a longer future together.
As I waited for acceptance into a trial, bad lady luck would strike again, when on Christmas day, Blue Bear Cannafarms would suffer a catastrophic loss when a blown light bulb would burn the entire grow operation to the ground. While the business was covered by insurance – at the time the solo insurer for legal marijuana grows in Alaska – our claim was denied for a small print technicality. Not only were we already facing the mounting costs of my cancer treatment, but we now faced a massive financial loss around $400,000 of product and damage to the building. Despite the loses we were facing in the business and dead ends for treatment for my cancer, we continued forward.
In January 2020, I finally got accepted into an experimental immunotherapy clinical study in Seattle, right as COVID started in the US. Because of the requirements of the trial treatment schedule and stay-at-home orders because of the pandemic, I would move to Washington, along with Ruger, in February while Terreisa, with the assistance of our daughter Whitney now co-managing the company, remained back in Alaska working to rebuild the business following the fire. While in Seattle, the clinical trial alternated between immunotherapy and chemotherapy from week to week, and the tumor was responding to the treatment. Over the course of the 8 months the tumor began to shrink and there seemed to be a bit of a light appearing on the horizon. But this was tempered by the building financial burden we were facing for medical expenses, travel, and the continued effort to rebuild the business. As a result, we have had to sell our horses, cash in two life insurance policies and three retirement accounts just to stay afloat.
In October 2020, the lead doctor of the clinical trial took a job somewhere else and effectively the trial came to a sudden end. The treatment had been working and my oncologist said that now without the restrictions of the trial, I could continue my treatments back in Alaska. I was able to go home right before Thanksgiving and spend time with family over the holidays while continuing my treatments in Fairbanks. The ability to remain at home doing treatments would be short lived as the once shrinking tumor would suddenly reverse course begin growing again. Options limited in Alaska, once again I am back to Seattle with Ruger continuing treatments with the hope that yet again a new round of radiation.
Explain how the funds will be used
We are asking for financial help to pay off the hundreds of thousands of dollars in medical bills not already covered by insurance that are rapidly mounting due to lack of income, offset the expense of traveling back and forth between Alaska and Seattle, and to help make ends meet and relieve some of the stress from my wife and daughter who work every day to keep the lights on. Despite the fact I have been selling everything I can, the additional stress of worrying about losing my home, where I am forced to be away from even helping, is adding to the already stressful nature of going through treatment. Any contributions would be appreciated, and all funds will go towards paying off current medical debt, living expenses, and travel costs related to dealing with my cancer treatments.