Help Stephen Sumney Survive

Hello.   Some of you know me as a friend, a loving father of  two incredible daughters, as a dedicated co-worker or all of the above. Some may also know that I’ve had a few set-backs recently. For those who don’t, this is my story of Cancer & Long Covid.FIRST LONG COVID then CANCER   On January 22 I tested positive for Covid 19. Fully vaccinated and boosted, I assumed it was going to be a somewhat easy illness, with possibly a few hiccups. Perfectly manageable, indeed   Or so I thought.   At first it wasn’t so bad, sort of like a flu. Except that, as the days and weeks wore on it became much worse and exponentially more confusing. A usually great memory was cloaked in fog and riddled with gaps. Breathing became progressively more labored. The coughing more extreme, brutal coughing, on and off most nights. An oppressive, weighty fatigue set in, smothering me. Then a crushing depression, an irrational sadness choked me. Sleeplessness and exhaustion at full tilt.   I became a different person, save for the ability to hang on to a shred of hope and logic.   About six weeks into it, I found my way into the Long Covid Program at UCI where  an inspired group of doctors working overtime are trying to help me and many others like me. They ran endless blood work, did pulmonary function tests, sent me for CAT scans and ultrasounds. Made me take bed rest, gave me medicines, inhalers & supplements.   From the scans we found  issues with my lungs, liver and right kidney, but the doctor’s chalked that up the intense inflammation that occurs with C-19 - inflammatory events in the body called “Cytokine Storms”. I had a blood clotting condition. “That should heal”, I heard. “Don’t fly, don’t work, don’t exert yourself, be careful",  they demanded. Then a diagnosis of asthma, too. I’ve never had asthma. Covid is crazy.NOW CANCER   There was so much that was still unclear. My D-Dimmer numbers were elevated. A sign of blood clotting but  also associated with other diseases, like Cancer.   Three steps forward, two steps back. Something else seemed to be getting in the way. “This is the mystery of Long Covid” they said. It is absolutely debilitating. The list of associated ailments is long. Even though I seemed to be making a little progress,  I hadn’t been able to overcome it. The exhaustion is relentless.   There were strange dry patches and a wound on my left shoulder that would not heal. Puzzling. I had and still have a nagging and intense pain there, but deeper in the shoulder. Like a someone jabbed a knife in there.  I pressed for an  appointment with a specialist and had the wounds biopsied.On May 23, I was diagnosed with stage 2 squamous cell cancer of the left shoulder. It has since been changed to stage 3 after we found evidence of disease in the lymph node in my left armpit.There is much concern because of the size of the cancer, of the depth and location of the pain. It is deep enough that it’s hitting nerves now, but hopefully not in the bone or other organs yet, I’m told.  An incidental finding unrelated to the Long Covid. I’m fortunate to have MOHS surgery scheduled quickly for next week, June 22. The surgeon  will cut way the surface cancer, the bigger dry patch, a scar and the open wound. During surgery they will biopsy and test samples from margins around the  site and then deeper from tissue beneath before they sew me up – real-time testing while in the surgery room.   Their intention is to remove as much of the cancer as possible, but they can go only so far and take so much with this surgery. We won’t know how far the cancer has advanced until the next  CAT scans and after surgery. Surgery will reveal a lot. Then more scans & ultrasounds to  assess the scale of it. This will take time. Radiation or chemotherapy after that.   Post-surgery there will still be the issues uncovered by the original chest scans and abdominal ultrasounds. We don’t know what’s on the upper pole of the right kidney or on the liver, whether they are tumors, cysts or if they are related to C-19 inflammation. Nor do we know if the “ground glass and reticular forms” on the lungs are attributed C-19 or signs of lung disease, or something else. The Post Covid Unit had taken the position they are likely to be related to C-19 and not more incidental findings, too.  That was before the Cancer.   But so many “what if’s”… one thing at a time. I’ve fought before and will fight again. The one-two punch has been brutal. I'm so tired.SURVIVING   I’ve been off work since the beginning of the year, save for an 11-day project I did against my doctor’s orders, which ended up being a physical set-back. With the cancer surgery and other treatments it looks like I’ll be unable to work for some time, depending on the post surgery program or if I'll need the radiation and / or chemotherapy after surgery. Prognosis is good, but it will take time and it will not be easy. Still much to learn.   That said, it’s been seven months living off savings, credit cards and high interest loans. Even with great insurance: co-pays, co-insurance and lost wages add up quickly. It’s a mountain of debt - the money and credit has run out. I wouldn’t be on Go Fund Me if I had any alternatives.   I’m reaching out to help cover overhead for the next coming months, cover rent, life’s bills and knock back the mounting debt that's piling up since February. I am severely upside down,   Thank you for your consideration and participation. Much love my friends, missing everyone.   Stephen.