Help Rich Destroy Cancer!

Where to begin.... my name is Gina and I'm fundraising for the love of my life. We need to reach our goal by December 12th so Rich can get started on his treatment.

I found Rich on a dating site in September 2013. His boyish good looks and dazzling blue eyes caught my attention immediately. After reading his profile, I took a chance and messaged him. We instantly hit it off! Like chocolate and peanut butter, we're a perfect match. Our blended family consists of 5 daughters and a son. We are so lucky to have them and each other. Fast forward to Father's Day 2022. We went to dinner, and Rich had trouble swallowing the steak. It was caught in his throat. He tried taking a drink of water to help wash it down, but the water just sat on top of the piece of steak. After a few minutes, he went to the bathroom to expel the water and steak. He tried to eat another piece of steak, which also got caught in his throat. It's now October, and the wedding of Rich's youngest daughter is fast approaching on Oct 8th. The stress and pressure of getting all the wedding signs done is coming on full speed. Rich can barely manage to get food down without it getting caught. This goes on for the whole week preceding the wedding. I'm very concerned now and tell him we must call the doctor. Rich wants to wait until after the wedding. I reluctantly agreed, and on October 20th, our world was turned upside down. Rich was diagnosed with esophageal cancer.

Journal Entry #1:

On Monday, October 10th Rich went to urgent care, and they recommended he go for a scope immediately. His GI doctor's office gets him in for a consult with the PA on Tuesday, and she schedules the procedure for Friday, October 14th. When I pick him up after the scope, the nurse tells me they took a few biopsies and they are pretty confident he has Barrett's Esophagus. He was told to stop drinking coffee and alcohol, eating spicy foods, and to eat soft foods like yogurt, mashed potatoes, pudding, etc. Thursday, Oct 20th, Rich goes back to go over the results. I asked him if he wanted me to go with him, but he declined and went himself. I ask him to stop by my office after to tell me the news. I was NOT prepared for what I heard next. Rich's face was pale and had this look of shock and utter disbelief. His words were like a knife viscerating my soul “I have esophageal cancer.” It was like someone punched me in the gut. How could this be true? Rich has no other symptoms or pain – it must be a mistake. Fighting back the tears, I walk into my boss's office, tell her the news and that I have to leave. My mind is all over the place, but I tell myself to focus. I need to get it together so I can be strong for Rich. I look at him, holding his hand and tell him, “I love you. We will get through this. Whatever it takes, we will beat this. I got you, babe.” The GI doctor refers us to the same surgeon that did his daughter's achalasia surgery, sets up the appointment and requests a CT and PET/CT scan.

Journal Entry #2:

October 31st was our first appointment with the surgeon and is another punch in the gut. They ask a hundred questions and are shocked that Rich isn't on any medications. Without having scans done at this point, and due to the difficulty swallowing, he believes that Rich is stage 3 or 4 and will need chemo, radiation and surgery to remove the entire esophagus. WHAT?? It's surreal; this can't be happening to us. The surgeon is so matter-of-fact about it, like this is the only option. He wants to do a scope, and that appointment is set for December 16th. He leaves us with the RN, who is our patient advocate. We ask her about Oxygen therapy, Super dose IV Vitamin C, and other natural ways to cure cancer. She is sympathetic and tells us that they don't offer those treatments but that we should look into everything so we can make the best decision for us.

So we start networking, researching and gathering information. We watched an excellent documentary on Amazon called HEAL, where we learned about the power of mind-over-matter and meditation. From a friend, we are introduced to CHIPSA Hospital in Mexico, where they do alternative cancer treatments. We contact them and set up a phone call with their doctor for Friday, November 11th. More updates to come.