Prayers for Pop battling stage IV Mesothelioma

There aren't words to express how hard this is to write. On March 13th, Dad called me from the Lutheran ER to bring him a snack. Unbeknownst to us all, he'd driven himself to the ER to be seen for some odd burning in his chest. He was 6 hours in and still sitting in the waiting room, hungry and frustrated. They'd done a quick chest x-ray and ECG to make sure it wasn't heart related and back to the waiting room he went. He finally decided to call it after they said he may not even be seen that night. The next day his physician called him and scheduled a CT due to a "mass" in his left lung and scheduled a follow-up for the following Friday. They called us Thursday and asked him to come in. I heard her say cancer and even though I had felt that was going to be the outcome, I still wasn't ready for those words. The word metastasized almost sent me to my knees. I can't imagine what was going through dad's mind at that moment. My thoughts were racing and the urge to scream was almost primal. We decided on referrals to 2 specialists we knew and trusted and walked out of that office into a completely different world from the one that was there when we walked in. Minutes felt like days and days felt like years waiting on the next steps. Thoracentisis #1 and the biopsy brought even more devastation. Stage IV Sarcomatoid Mesothelioma with metastasis to the ribs, pericardial sac and lymph involvement. The samples were sent to the Mayo clinic for further testing due to the gravity of the diagnosis. Sarcomatoid Mesothelioma is not a diagnosis that is handed out without much consideration and testing. It's rare, agressive and there is no cure. The confirmation came from Mayo and treatment starts Friday May 5th, 2023.

Can you imagine someone looking you in the eyes and telling you this is it? The life you've lived up to this point is no longer? You only have a small amount of time left with your loved ones and the time you have is going to be spent fighting for every borrowed moment? The borrowed moments are going to be possible because of a few drugs they can give you, but the cost of those drugs is $23,000 per infusion? $7,000 per month after insurance with no end date. Every other week for the rest of the short and borrowed time here on earth you'll be getting these drugs, if you can afford them. There's grants and financial assistance, but they're dried up right now. Every single source. 

My dad is a giver. He's a provider. He's too proud for charity even though he's given his time, money and heart to so many charities and people in need over my entire life. The countless dinners we've prepared for an organization close to his heart. The goods and money to foundations that help the homeless here in Fort Wayne. The friends who have been down on their luck and needed a small or a big hand up. When he has it, he gives it. 

The strongest man I know is fighting the hardest battle of his life right now. Watching our rock, our anchor, our Hercules struggle to walk and breathe and lose so much weight so quickly is gut wrenching. I have begged and pleaded to any god or power out there to trade me for him. Let me do this for him. Let me take this battle. He doesn't deserve to go through this. He is not ready to leave us and we are not ready to do life without him. The time we have right now needs to be spent on sharing love and positivity and focusing on doing everything we can to keep him as healthy as possible. Mind, body and soul. 

He's not going to like this, but he could sure use a hand up now until we can secure more resources to help fund those borrowed moments that we're clinging to the hope for. 

Treatment is scheduled to begin Friday. We've set up a few ways to help him and anything will help. 

Venmo - @AHandForJoe

Buy a tee to show support (all profits go directly to costs associated with treatment and life expenses during his fight with stage IV Sarcomatoid Mesothelioma) - https://ceciliaraydesigns.com/collections/support-for-joe

I also beg for prayers, healing thoughts, positive vibes and even a good energy sent into the universe for dad right now. I also ask you tell everyone you know how much they mean to you. Tell them you love them. Give lots of hugs. Spend an extra moment on each person you encounter during your day spreading love and lifting them up. My dad has never met a stranger and to know him is to love him. He certainly loves all of you reading this and he's probably told you that at least once. 

I know he'll want to talk to, and see as many of you as he can when the time is right for him. I'll be sure to update when that time is. Please don't hesitate to reach out then. Send a text, a FB message, call him. Reminisce and laugh, hell, even cry. Just do it. Don't let the fear of what to say stand in your way. He'd do it for you. 

I love you, all,

Meg