Help Support Eddie's Fight Against Cancer

Dear Friends,

My name is Shannon and Eddie Kunderman is my cousin. But more importantly he is one of my very best friends and right now he and his wife Michelle need our help.

Anyone who has been lucky enough to spend the summer on Vancouver Island, knows that there is no better place to be. Eddie, Michelle and their family had plans to enjoy every moment of it, but as it does life had other plans for them.

In July, Eddie had a lingering cough and found a lump in his neck which led him to the doctor. After an ultrasound suggested that it may be cancer, a biopsy confirmed it. What they found in his lymph node was squamous cell carcinoma. However, the lump that he had found in his neck wasn't the primary source as this type of cancer is not typically found in lymph nodes. A CT scan didn't reveal where the primary source was, however a further biopsy of his mouth, tongue, throat and tonsils revealed that the primary source was in his tonsil. His oncologist confirmed that it was Stage 4a, and the world stopped spinning for a moment in time.

The treatment needed for this type of cancer and where it is located in his body has to be aggressive. The recommended course of treatment is 7 weeks of radiation (Monday to Friday for 7 weeks straight) with weekly chemotherapy. Surgery is not recommended as it would be too invasive. Treatment will be extremely hard and excruciatingly painful. A feeding tube may be required as time goes on, he has been warned of possible hearing loss and kidney failure. It's going to be the battle of his life, but as the oncologist explained to Eddie and Michelle, he has 1 shot to kill the cancer and about an 80% chance of making it happen. If this course of treatment doesn't do it, the conversations that will happen after will be extremely hard. So, we need your help. We need to make sure that Eddie and Michelle get through this so that conversation doesn't have to happen.

All of Eddie's treatment will take place at the BC Cancer Agency in Victoria and is scheduled to start on September 27th. This means that he will be relocating from Port Alberni to Victoria for the duration of the treatment. All of the housing available for cancer patients is full, and although he is on the waitlist and we are staying optimistic, it is not likely that a spot will open for him. Therefore, he will be booking an airbnb, which in this economic state is very expensive.

Although he wants to keep working while going through treatment, not only for financial reasons, but also to keep his mind busy, at this point, it's most likely not possible. Michelle will also be taking unpaid time away from work to make sure that Eddie has support while he is down there. In no world does it make sense for him to battle this alone in Victoria.

Your financial support will help to pay for housing in Victoria for the time he is down there. As well as to cover the lost wages that both Eddie and Michelle are facing. Treatment is 7 weeks, but it is unknown how much time after treatment Eddie will need to recover. Our goal in starting this GoFundMe is to take away any additional stress that these two may face financially so they can focus on Eddie's health.

Many of you who are reading this have played various sports with Eddie. Whether he was your teammate or your coach, he's always the guy on the sidelines letting you know that giving up is not an option. He gives you the hard pep talks are when times get tough, and celebrates with you during the wins. This is what he needs from us right now, we need to surround him and let him know that even when it gets hard, we are all here.

Life, after all, is the most important team sport.