Help Steve Get Life-Saving Treatment

HELP STEVE GET LIFESAVING TREATMENT 


Hello everyone...I'm here to ask for help for someone very special to us. My husband's cousin, Steve Carrington,  is in a dire situation. These Carrington men come from hearty stock, independent,  strong, smart, stubborn and loyal. One thing they don't like to do is ask for help, so that is why I'm doing it for him. When you have time, PLEASE sit down and read the whole story. I'm sorry it's lengthy,  but a story like this about a man like Steve and of such urgency needs to be told in full detail. I'm feeling a little inadequate to write such a story so bear with me.

August 7, 2020, it was Steve and Tina's 15th anniversary. It was also Steve's son Cody's birthday. The whole family was at their house to celebrate.  Before the celebration, Tina received a call from the lab where Steve had some blood  work done a couple days prior. The nurse told her to "drop everything and get Steve to the hospital asap".  Steve had been having some health issues, but like a lot of us, had put it off thinking it would pass. When they arrived at the hospital in Harrison,  they found out the reason for the alarm. His creatine levels were off the charts, normal is about 1, his was 9, indicating possible kidney failure.  From there he was rushed to Cox Hospital in Branson where they had a nephrologist, a Doctor who specializes in kidney issues. For the next few months, there would be numerous hospital stays, dozens of Doctor visits, test upon more test, a blood clot in his leg, and at one time his BP climbed up to over 300/100 range. So besides the issue of his kidneys and bladder, they had to work cautiously around this combo of issues all of which were very serious.  He began dialysis.  After several incidents of having to return to doctors and not getting calls back looking for answers, one doctor saying the other doctor needed to handle it etc. Tina, by this time frustrated with seemingly no help and no answers, contacted another urologist, who set things in motion with other specialists. Finally, on December 9th, 2020, after a visit with an oncologist at UAMS in Little Rock, they had an answer and it was not good. Steve had a rare form of bladder cancer.

Through all of this.....Steve remained in pretty good spirits, every picture I saw of him he was smiling despite feeling like he'll. His attitude and optimism was and is amazing.  He was cracking jokes with the nurses and staff, talking to his kids and grandkids on the phone because with covid, visitation wasn't possible.  But you see, it wasn't his first obstacle to overcome, he is legally blind.....has been since about 8 years old. It's a condition called retinitis pigmentosa, there is no cure. But he never let that stop him. He went to the Arkansas School for the Blind where he was a 3 time conference champion in high school in wrestling. After that, he had 2 National Wrestling titles, a silver medal in 1978 and a gold medal in 1979 in National tournaments.  I find it ironic, that wrestling was his sport, one that would be a mantra throughout his life,
taking his opponents to the ground, be it human or disease, he won't go down without a fight. 

Steve is also a talented musician, he plays 4 instruments and can sing Haggard and Jones like nobody's business. He writes songs, it is his "love language", his gift to others. He's written some funny ones for his grands and some beautiful moving ones for the love of his life, Tina. People may not remember meeting people in a social setting with a group of friends interacting,  but everyone always remembers Steve, he is the life of the party. For several years, Steve and some very close friends of his played in "The Cold Melon Band". It was a way to make people happy, share his gift and make a little side money. There's a limited number of jobs you can do when you can't drive because you're blind, but Steve always found something he could do to make a living to support he and his family. His talents and ambition didn't stop with music though, he was and is an excellent craftsman building log homes, furniture and anything his grandkids asked for. This past Christmas though weak and sickly, he built his granddaughter a jewelry box for Christmas.  All his grands, Kaydence, Chance, Parker and Rylan love and need their POP!!

Now I must tell you about his soulmate, his love, Tina. They have a "Johnny and June" kind of love. They had a relationship in the early 90's but sadly, parted ways. However, fate stepped in and after several years apart, each never forgot that bond, and they found their way back to each other and married. Bringing with them Steve's son Cody, and Tina's four girls, the twins...Katie and Madie, and Gracie and Charlie. Their dream was to build a log home on land they owned near beautiful Bull Shoals Lake. So they lived in Steve's tiny shop for five years while making the dream a reality. And yes, Steve did most of the work himself with the help of family and friends. It is a showplace, a symbol of their love and hardships getting there. It wasn't easy, and Tina was Steve's chauffeur taking him wherever he needed to go, he was able to do most everything else on his own. But since he fell ill, he's not been able to garden, build or do any side jobs that would bring an income. Tina is a middle school ALE teacher at their local Lead Hill school. She works with "at risk" students. I'd add that Tina is also a person you won't forget, she and Steve are matched perfectly in that regard! Her students love her as do the body and staff. But as y'all know, teaching jobs in Arkansas don't pay well, so she also drives a school bus to help with finances. She gets up at 5 a.m. to take Steve to dialysis, then goes back to do her bus route, then teaches. Thankfully, family members help by picking Steve up after the 4 hour dialysis and take him home. Her devotion is remarkable,  and he, as you would expect knows he's in loving, capable hands. They are blessed to receive help from their 5 grown children, their spouses and 4 grandchildren.  

The PROGNOSIS......the bladder cancer is inoperable.  He cannot get chemotherapy due to renal failure. So the recommendation is immunotherapy.  The problem is they've been waiting for approval from the insurance and/or pharmaceutical company for over a month and still nothing. His condition is dire and time's a wasting! Steve is still fighting and won't give up as I’ve described. He has a friend who had stage 4 cancer years ago, got immunotherapy treatments and is now cancer free. We want that same miracle for Steve! That's why I'm doing this fundraiser, they desperately need our help with funds to get these treatments started and help with mounting medical bills and living expenses.  Even if the insurance were to get approved,  they will continue accruing massive medical debts related to it all. The immunotherapy treatments are not cheap, it's $2,000 per treatment every 3 weeks for about a year. Folks that adds up to about $34,000! So that's why we need your help. Even if you can only give a tiny amount, tiny amounts add up to large amounts. It's been a rough year for everyone due to covid, I know many of you lost jobs, lost loved ones, and it's a lot to deal with. So one thing you can do that's free is to PRAY, send good vibes and positive thoughts...I know from experience they work! If you can donate, we will forever be in your debt. It's very emotional for Steve and Tina, help from family and friends is not expected but sincerely appreciated and as I said, they'd never ask for themselves and reluctantly allowed me this honor. But time is not on our side,  we need action!!

BONUS!! So if you've hung in there with me till now, thank you! If you do decide to donate, and no amount is too small, to show our appreciation we are going to offer one of Rod's custom knives for a lucky donor to win! Here's how it will work: Donate $1-$10, you'll get 1 entry in the drawing, $11-$20 you get 2 entries, $21-$50, you get 3 entries, $51-$75 you get 4 entries, and $76-$100 you'll get 5 entries. If you donate more, for example, if you donate $125, you'd get 8 total entries. The knife is a unique, one-of-a-kind, that's the only kind he makes, by hand from scratch. The knife is a dagger but patterned after the Excalibur Sword and valued at $1,300.  I'll be posting pics of it soon!

Thank you for your time, love to each of you and GOD BLESS❤ 

Susie Carrington