Hey- Jim's friend Lauren here, and I'm here to ask you for help.

 

Jim needs your help to pay for In-Home Hospice health care (nurses, aides, and Personal Care Attendants), physical and occupational therapy, medical bills, and housing and living expenses. While Jim has begun the process to receive medical assistance, all expenses will not be covered, and his situation is urgent. And, as Jim succinctly put it, "Dying is expensive!"

 

In 2012, Jim was diagnosed with liposarcoma, a type of cancer that can be found in the limbs, muscles and/or abdomen. Sarcoma is often found as a tumor, and can be found in fat, blood vessels, nerves, bones, muscles, deep skin tissues, tendons, and cartilage. Liposarcoma is a soft tissue tumor that grows from fat cells located in deep connective tissues.

 

"Fat cells Lauren? Really? Have you met this guy?!"

 

Really. Despite his impressively rock-hard abs.

 

Jim's liposarcoma was diagnosed after initial misdiagnoses' of his mild fever, bloating, and dry cough- "walking pneumonia" they called it. After antibiotics were of no help, a CT scan showed a lump in James' abdomen. A "lump" that seemed to fill his entire abdomen.

Additional research and consultations showed that his abdominal mass was, in fact, liposarcoma, and the fourteen-pound tumor was removed cleanly by a surgical oncologist at the U of M. Feeling lucky and lighter, James threw himself into living more consciously, and with intent- by treating cancer as a wake-up call to bring his life more meaning.

 

Jim's focus to transform his problem into opportunity brought him to exploring his life's philosophy- and it was time to start living with purpose. As he phrased it- "No more hemming and hawing... time to transform PTSD into post-traumatic growth!" He began reading and exploring differing perspectives and thought- trying to turn a "potentially worst" situation into a "potentially best."


In 2015, Jim had a recurrence of liposarcoma, resulting in another surgery, and the loss of his right kidney. In 2016, cancer returned. Options at that point were chemo and immunotherapies. They were tried. They possibly made it worse. Jim and his partner discussed dangerous debulking surgeries at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester. They signed him up for a clinical trial, which seemed to be a placebo, for all of the change Jim experienced.

Western medicine exhausted, Jim turned to Eastern and New Age activities, like yoga, meditation, and energy work. Throughout this journey, Jim's worked hard to remain positive and committed to bringing conscious optimism and cognitive flexibility to those around him- and to leave the world better than he found it.

 

He's surrounded by people who love him, including his primary caregivers: his partner, and his mother. But caregiver burnout is real- and to avoid that, and to keep up with his changing needs, he needs additional support and medical services.

Jim's attitude is still positive- even in the face of a terminal diagnosis. Life still holds its joys in the form of deep conversations and tastes of delicious treats. Daily life is difficult, and even breathing can be a struggle. But Jim will face it head on, and with your help and support, with the services he needs to be comfortable and cared for.

Jim's pulled truth from Viktor Frankl's Man's Search for Meaning: "Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms- to choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one's own way." Chip in today and show your love to our friend in the face of this awful set of circumstances.