Update:  Apologies to those of you following this campaign as I have not updated in quite some time. It is incredibly hard to say this and even harder to find the right words.....

My father, Johnny Q, passed away Wednesday 1/25.

He knew how much love we all have for him.... I showed him the fundraiser on the previous Friday and it really moved him. He was so happy to know that so many of his friends & family came together so quickly to help us through this incredibly difficult time.

I am changing the campaign now to be a memorial fund to honor my father & to help my wonderful stepmom Sandie through this, as she lost her husband, her best friend, her soulmate, and is now going through the incredibly painful process of fulfilling my father's wishes and taking care of their home alongside a lot of bills and financial stress.

I am going to miss my Dad forever, but I know he is in my heart and watching over all of us. He had nothing but love for all of those who knew him, and he touched so many lives in the 49 years that he graced this earth. I never, ever wanted my Dad to leave - I am just happy he is no longer suffering & in pain. He fought hard for 4 years against this evil beast.

This is the hardest thing I have ever had to write in my life. I miss you so much Dad. You are so loved. There is nothing in this life that could ever compare to you. I love you forever.

Thank you all for taking the time to read this and for all you have done and continue to do for us. Thank you.

With love,
Alyssa Q & the Quinones Family

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This is for my father, John Quinones. Also known as Johnny Q. Loving father of 5, devoted husband, incredible friend to all.

US Air Force veteran, mechanic who worked on F-16's and loves to fix cars, computers, watches, anything he can get his hands on.

Musician all of his life - always jamming & playing gigs, playing the drums even while fighting cancer.

He is a fighter. My father was diagnosed with Stage IV pancreatic cancer in early 2013, at age 46. This is his 4th year fighting this battle. He has had multiple major surgeries in this 4 year journey. His pancreatic cancer is considered "slow growth neuroendocrine", it was diagnosed in his pancreas, liver, and partially in the lungs. He has had at least a dozen surgeries to remove part of the pancreas, remove the spots in the lungs, to remove tumors in the liver (multiple times), to scrape cancer cells from the walls of his liver, remove sections of the liver, to attach SIR-Spheres customized to fight his tumors in the liver, to paralyze pain receptors in his body to help with the pain, and much more.

He started chemo (in pill form) earlier this year but was abruptly stopped when the infections returned in his body. They cannot treat the cancer while his body is fighting infection.

The biggest obstacle in this journey is the abscesses that have formed from the multiple endeavors into his abdomen to treat the cancer. Currently, he has 2 major abscesses that contain a mass of infection. He has been switched between multiple antibiotics to try and destroy this infection. He has battled MRSA multiple times, and has had allergic reactions to some of the drugs they have tried. He keeps fighting. He is very strong-willed.

However, we have hit a point in his treatment plan where they cannot treat his cancer while his body is still fighting the infection. He has been hospitalized at the Cancer Treatment Centers of America many, many times and just recently spent almost a week there undergoing a surgery to install a pain pump in his body to give him painkillers that he doesn't have to take orally, so he can manage his pain. On most days he is easily a 7 or 8 out of 10 in his pain levels.

I have watched this disease take my father through hell. He refuses to give up. He is a FIGHTER. He has never asked for assistance, so I requested his permission to help raise funds to give my family a slight break. His wife, my stepmom Sandie works overtime constantly and works graveyard shifts to support them, and is always there for each and every bump in the road. I want nothing more than to give them the relief of knowing they are NOT in this alone. They never have been, but unfortunately the cost of treatment for his cancer has been nothing short of extreme. I have been informed that during his last hospital visit (he was discharged today 1/18) that the antibiotics they want to treat him with estimate at $1500 PER dose.

We are currently believing in the antibiotics to destroy this infection so he can resume treatment for his cancer. We have recently been updated this week that his liver is showing signs of failure as a result of the cancer being untreated while he fights the infection. He is currently battling jaundice among some other abnormal levels in his blood that is complicating the healing process.

Thank you for taking the time to read about his journey, and know that we appreciate all of the love and kindness that our friends & family have supported us with over the years. I will keep this updated with his future progress (as I do on my Facebook page). We are staying positive, we are stronger together. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me. Thank you.

With love,
Alyssa Quinones & The Quinones Family