Help John G. leave a legacy
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John Gerhardt was diagnosed with Stage 4 Cholangiocarcinoma (bile duct cancer) on 01/31/2022 and is undergoing additional testing to determine if it has spread beyond his bile ducts and lymph nodes. Chemotherapy treatment will begin on Tuesday, February 8, at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, TN. While this form of cancer is rare, John also had a higher risk based on a diagnosis he received in November 2021... Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis (PSC), which is scarring of the bile ducts caused by unknown bile duct inflammation. The PSC diagnosis came after 11 years of extremely high liver enzymes along with GI disturbances and several tests over the course of that time with institutions such as UNC and Duke; however, John’s issues continued without a clear diagnosis. Whereas we were elated to receive the PSC diagnosis so we could work towards John feeling better; unfortunately, it also brought upon the overwhelming news that John would need to consult with a liver transplant team at Vanderbilt in February of this year.
As you can imagine, the past few months have been a rollercoaster for John, Jenn, and their daughter Eva, who just turned 14 on January 27th. They moved from Lexington, KY to Afton, TN at the end of last summer for John’s pursuit of new professional challenges, in full support of his family. Then the 2021 holiday season, meant for gathering with family & friends to give thanks and celebrate in good company, was instead filled with CT scans, MRIs, paracentesis, multi-night hospital stays, sleepless nights, and so on. The hospital visit(s) on December 26th – 31st, prompted by severe abdominal/back pain on Christmas night, pushed up his liver transplant consultation to mid-January. John & Jenn consulted with John’s liver transplant specialist who suggested additional testing based on her concerns from John’s December CT scans and MRI. The test results, along with collaboration amongst John’s medical team, is how John ultimately landed at this cancer diagnosis.
While the imminent concern is the cancer and effectively treating it, we are mindful that he will also be going down the road of requiring a liver transplant sooner than later. This may seem like a welterweight champion trying to go toe-to-toe with two heavyweights simultaneously, because it is. But John is no underdog in this fight. He has the power of his faith in God, a support group of family, friends, coworkers, and acquaintances reaching from the Atlantic to the Pacific praying and sending support in numerous ways, and the most amazing warriors in his corner in Jenn and Eva. For those that know John well, you know he has a fire inside of him and that fire will burn bright in this fight, especially with this outpouring of faith and support surrounding him.
John, Jenn, & Eva currently live about a 4-hour drive from Vanderbilt. The immediate & long-term financial donation requests will be for John & Jenn’s extensive travel expenses to and from Vanderbilt for appointments and treatments, large medical expenses, including post-transplant care, family travel to offer support and care when needed, and supplementing lost income at times.
Stay tuned for updates on John’s journey and to learn more about his diagnosis, please visit: Cholangiocarcinoma Information
As you can imagine, the past few months have been a rollercoaster for John, Jenn, and their daughter Eva, who just turned 14 on January 27th. They moved from Lexington, KY to Afton, TN at the end of last summer for John’s pursuit of new professional challenges, in full support of his family. Then the 2021 holiday season, meant for gathering with family & friends to give thanks and celebrate in good company, was instead filled with CT scans, MRIs, paracentesis, multi-night hospital stays, sleepless nights, and so on. The hospital visit(s) on December 26th – 31st, prompted by severe abdominal/back pain on Christmas night, pushed up his liver transplant consultation to mid-January. John & Jenn consulted with John’s liver transplant specialist who suggested additional testing based on her concerns from John’s December CT scans and MRI. The test results, along with collaboration amongst John’s medical team, is how John ultimately landed at this cancer diagnosis.
While the imminent concern is the cancer and effectively treating it, we are mindful that he will also be going down the road of requiring a liver transplant sooner than later. This may seem like a welterweight champion trying to go toe-to-toe with two heavyweights simultaneously, because it is. But John is no underdog in this fight. He has the power of his faith in God, a support group of family, friends, coworkers, and acquaintances reaching from the Atlantic to the Pacific praying and sending support in numerous ways, and the most amazing warriors in his corner in Jenn and Eva. For those that know John well, you know he has a fire inside of him and that fire will burn bright in this fight, especially with this outpouring of faith and support surrounding him.
John, Jenn, & Eva currently live about a 4-hour drive from Vanderbilt. The immediate & long-term financial donation requests will be for John & Jenn’s extensive travel expenses to and from Vanderbilt for appointments and treatments, large medical expenses, including post-transplant care, family travel to offer support and care when needed, and supplementing lost income at times.
Stay tuned for updates on John’s journey and to learn more about his diagnosis, please visit: Cholangiocarcinoma Information
Fundraising team (3)
Lauren Raczkowski
Organiser
Glendale, AZ
Jennifer Gerhardt
Beneficiary
Erin Parrack
Team member
Patrick Gerhardt
Team member