Help Wayne Beat Back Cancer
Donation protected
Hello Family and Friends -
With your support, we made it through the last few months - thank you very much!
Your check-in emails/texts/calls and your posts on Wayne’s CaringBridge site are most appreciated! Re-visiting your well wishes, messages of encouragement, photos/videos/music clips periodically reminds us of how blessed we are to have so many folks “in our corner”.
We are grateful for the meal deliveries, grocery store runs, the gifts of fresh fruit, snacks and home baked treats. We’ve enjoyed in-person and virtual visits with several friends and family members!
Wayne has also had the opportunity to join a few socially distanced "live rehearsals" with some musician friends which has really helped with getting back to a little more normalcy.
If you haven’t had a chance recently, we hope you’ll visit the CaringBridge site for updates and to check out some of the photos.
We have certainly been on a journey - at times, more like a rollercoaster...
It all started with an “interesting” March when we tested positive for COVID19. Luckily, our symptoms were mild and we were able to recover at home. Then, as we started to map out plans to manage through the “Stay Home” order, Wayne was admitted to UW Medicine for emergency surgery to remove a lesion on his brain.
The surgery and Wayne’s recovery were successful but the news from the surgeon was unexpected - when he told us the lesion was actually a malignant tumor we were pretty much in shock for a few days. As we shifted to “defense” mode, we remembered that the surgeon had made a point of telling us that a prognosis is based on statistics...that half of the people will do better; half will do worse and how without hesitation, we had immediately decided to be in the “do better” group.
Wayne’s oncologist also told him that a positive approach would be a huge part of his treatment because he’s “in the fight for” his life. The oncologist also shared how many people give up and refuse treatment. Well, that was never Wayne’s attitude - as he says, “we have too much s*&! to do to give up!”
Now that we’ve made it through the very scary days following brain surgery and the Glioblastoma tumor diagnosis, the weeks of fatigue during the radiation treatments, the multiple scans/labs/office visits, and the first steps of getting back to a somewhat normal routine, we are looking ahead and once again, we need to ask for your additional support - this time, financially.
THANKFULLY, due to the out-of-pocket max on Wayne’s medical insurance, our share of the expenses for the care between April 26th and August 31st (the surgery, hospital stay, radiation and chemotherapy treatments, home therapy and the oncology visits) was limited to just $3,140.
Based on the estimated cost for Wayne’s treatment over the next 24 months (including an increase in his plan’s annual out-of-pocket max to $5k, effective this month), we will need an extra $35,000.
Humbly, we are reaching out to recruit “Wayne’s Warriors” for help raising this $35k - the funds will cover:
(1) The monthly co-payments for the Optune device (estimated at $500*/month). Optune is a critical part of Wayne’s adjuvant therapy - it creates electric fields that help slow the growth/prevent new tumor cells.
* This $500 monthly cost is a special discounted rate (based on our income) made available by Novocure which brings the fee down to approximately 2.4% of the regular cost
(2) The adjuvant chemotherapy treatment
(3) Oncology appointments plus the required MRIs and labs
(4) A reimbursement to our savings account for the $1,100 we paid to cover our share of the out-of-pocket max for the 2019-2020 benefit year plus, $2,040 to finish paying the balance due on our payment plan with UW Medicine
(5) An estimated $7,500 to cover unexpected costs. While we hope Wayne will be able to return to a full-time work schedule, we are not sure when that will happen for two reasons:
(a) because of the pandemic, we don’t know when Pike Place Market will be back to full operations
(b) we are not sure when Wayne will be ready, physically, to work a full eight hours, five days a week
Contributions to the “Help Wayne Beat Back Cancer” Fund will make it possible for us to cover the treatment costs so we can save our paychecks for regular household expenses.
Our goal is to raise at least $7,000 by the end November. Your support, in any amount that you can comfortably contribute, would be sincerely appreciated.
With gratitude,
Wayne and Rainelle
With your support, we made it through the last few months - thank you very much!
Your check-in emails/texts/calls and your posts on Wayne’s CaringBridge site are most appreciated! Re-visiting your well wishes, messages of encouragement, photos/videos/music clips periodically reminds us of how blessed we are to have so many folks “in our corner”.
We are grateful for the meal deliveries, grocery store runs, the gifts of fresh fruit, snacks and home baked treats. We’ve enjoyed in-person and virtual visits with several friends and family members! Wayne has also had the opportunity to join a few socially distanced "live rehearsals" with some musician friends which has really helped with getting back to a little more normalcy.
If you haven’t had a chance recently, we hope you’ll visit the CaringBridge site for updates and to check out some of the photos. We have certainly been on a journey - at times, more like a rollercoaster...
It all started with an “interesting” March when we tested positive for COVID19. Luckily, our symptoms were mild and we were able to recover at home. Then, as we started to map out plans to manage through the “Stay Home” order, Wayne was admitted to UW Medicine for emergency surgery to remove a lesion on his brain.
The surgery and Wayne’s recovery were successful but the news from the surgeon was unexpected - when he told us the lesion was actually a malignant tumor we were pretty much in shock for a few days. As we shifted to “defense” mode, we remembered that the surgeon had made a point of telling us that a prognosis is based on statistics...that half of the people will do better; half will do worse and how without hesitation, we had immediately decided to be in the “do better” group.
Wayne’s oncologist also told him that a positive approach would be a huge part of his treatment because he’s “in the fight for” his life. The oncologist also shared how many people give up and refuse treatment. Well, that was never Wayne’s attitude - as he says, “we have too much s*&! to do to give up!”
Now that we’ve made it through the very scary days following brain surgery and the Glioblastoma tumor diagnosis, the weeks of fatigue during the radiation treatments, the multiple scans/labs/office visits, and the first steps of getting back to a somewhat normal routine, we are looking ahead and once again, we need to ask for your additional support - this time, financially.
THANKFULLY, due to the out-of-pocket max on Wayne’s medical insurance, our share of the expenses for the care between April 26th and August 31st (the surgery, hospital stay, radiation and chemotherapy treatments, home therapy and the oncology visits) was limited to just $3,140.
Based on the estimated cost for Wayne’s treatment over the next 24 months (including an increase in his plan’s annual out-of-pocket max to $5k, effective this month), we will need an extra $35,000.
Humbly, we are reaching out to recruit “Wayne’s Warriors” for help raising this $35k - the funds will cover:
(1) The monthly co-payments for the Optune device (estimated at $500*/month). Optune is a critical part of Wayne’s adjuvant therapy - it creates electric fields that help slow the growth/prevent new tumor cells.
* This $500 monthly cost is a special discounted rate (based on our income) made available by Novocure which brings the fee down to approximately 2.4% of the regular cost
(2) The adjuvant chemotherapy treatment
(3) Oncology appointments plus the required MRIs and labs
(4) A reimbursement to our savings account for the $1,100 we paid to cover our share of the out-of-pocket max for the 2019-2020 benefit year plus, $2,040 to finish paying the balance due on our payment plan with UW Medicine
(5) An estimated $7,500 to cover unexpected costs. While we hope Wayne will be able to return to a full-time work schedule, we are not sure when that will happen for two reasons:
(a) because of the pandemic, we don’t know when Pike Place Market will be back to full operations
(b) we are not sure when Wayne will be ready, physically, to work a full eight hours, five days a week
Contributions to the “Help Wayne Beat Back Cancer” Fund will make it possible for us to cover the treatment costs so we can save our paychecks for regular household expenses.
Our goal is to raise at least $7,000 by the end November. Your support, in any amount that you can comfortably contribute, would be sincerely appreciated.
With gratitude,
Wayne and Rainelle
Organizer
Rainelle Sizemore
Organizer
Seattle, WA