Help Ian Beat Colorectal Cancer!

Sometimes, doing dumb things is  exactly what needs to happen. This is what happened to me. 

After moving to a new apartment in January equipped with a dream wood burning stove in the kitchen, I was on the perpetual hunt for free wood. After finding a massive cherry tree limb bound for the chipper, I scooped it up into my van and immediately blew out my lower back. 

After healing from that, the pain continued, but this time in my lower abdomen. The pain continued for two weeks until it became unbearable and I went to the emergency room. 

I was scanned and poked and prodded and my CT scan showed some "pericolonic fat stranding", which can be a sign of anything from an infection to a tumor. 

The head ER doctor came in and demanded that I get a colonoscopy ASAP. He shook his finger in my face and said "DO NOT skip this. Get it done". 

On May 27th, I went in for my colonoscopy. On May 28th, I was diagnosed with colorectal cancer. 

As of now, it seems like this was caused by Lynch Syndrome - a genetic disorder that predisposes you to certain cancers that have lived dormant in your family lineage. 

What we don't know - how to treat it (yet), what stage it is, and how life will change going forward. 

WHAT I WILL NEED:

- Firstly, I need all of my friends (especially men), to go get a colonoscopy. Schedule it. Go get it done. Oh, you think 30 is too young? It's not. Go get checked out and if everything is fine, you'll probably not need another for a whole decade. JUST GO GET A COLONOSCOPY. Do it for me. 

- Love - call me, text me, stop by. My community gives me strength and without your love, I will struggle. Don't clam up. Have questions? Get in touch. Want to cry? I'm there. Want to come over for beers while I drink a mocktail? Absolutely. Wanna go for a paddle on the lake? YES LET'S DO IT. I'll let you know if I am feeling overwhelmed. Don't let that keep you away. I want all the hugs. 

- Support for Veronica - same as above. Go grab Veronica and go for a bike ride.  Take her and go surfing. Take her out for dinner. Go for a hike. She'll need a lot of support, too. Don't be shy. 

- Financial Assistance - anything helps. I am going to continue to work, but will need help with groceries, rent, and any medical expenses not covered by insurance.  No pressure, but a financial cushion can really help take away a bunch of extra stress while I undergo treatment. 

- Food Assistance - because it's colorectal cancer, my diet has become pretty limited. So if you want to make some food, try and keep the ingredients to the following recommended low-fiber diet ingredient list: Low Fiber Ingredients List.

I love food, so this has been super hard for me. Give us a heads up so we can make room in the fridge. Vacuum packed meats are also super helpful, that way we can freeze it 

- Go Surfing, Send Pics -  help to keep my stoke flame alive and send pics of what you're doing in life. I already miss spending the summer goofing off with all of you, so please don't be shy and send pics of your beach days and waves. 

Thank you all again for your love and support. I'll keep everyone up-to-date on my Caring Bridge site, so please nav here for any and all updates to my treatment and how I'm feeling: Blog and Caring Bridge Site for Ian 

Love, peace, and good waves, 

Ian