Help Ken's Healing Journey

In Feb of 2015 Ken was diagnosed with esophageal cancer. What a shock this was to all of us. He has had to fight to get the care he needed. We as a family learned to be our own medical advocate. Fighting the insurance company to be able to go to the right hospitals where he could get the care he needed. We got what we wanted so off to UCLA to see a thoracic surgeon. After a consult he set up the cancer protocol. The chemotherapy and radiation treatments were able to have done in our home town under the direction of UCLA. After the treatments were done he was told his cancer was in remission the words we wanted to hear. So off to UCLA to see the doctor, we told him the great news REMISSION, his reply was the protocol is still to remove the Esophagus, completely. On Oct 15, 2015 he under went a 13 hour surgery to remove his esophagus. Sure enough those sneaky cancer cells were still hanging out and just waiting for the right time. Now that he's in remission, we were told there could be complications from the surgery. Sure enough the side effects came calling. Paralyzed vocal cord, scar tissue, his favorite foods forever gone! He can no longer swallow anything. He is having a J-tube placed so he can get the nutrition he needs to survive, once that is done and he is stronger he will head back to UCLA and see if the issue with being unable to swallow can be fixed.
Yet through it all he has tried to keep his sense of humor. As they say laughter is the best medicine.
-Beth