A Dad with Terminal Colon Cancer

colon cancer ‌  Hello to All.  My name is Donald Cripps.  I was born and raised in Castleton, New York.   I am a 45 year old man that was diagnosed with Stage IV Colon Cancer on April 1st 1015.  My progosis is an average of 2 years, maybe less, hopefully more.  The evil aggressive cancer cells have not only invaded my colon, but other parts of my body.  The cancer is in my lymph nodes, abdominal lining, liver, and lungs.  My cancer is not curable and will never go away....it is only treatable.  I have gone through two grueling surgeries with one that almost led to my death.  I first had a Hemorrhoidectomy to fix my anal prolapse.  Soon after that, my cancer was found.  I needed to heal in order to get done an emergency surgery that would change my life and well being forever.   I received a massive surgery to remove most of my colon, lymph nodes, tissues, and part of my omentum (the layer of fat that protects our intestines).  After the surgery is when they told me how bad the cancer was and how far it has spread.  The recovery was a battle.  A week after surgery, I began to get worse and more sick.  I had high fever's, vomiting, and diarrhea, and could barely move due to the 32 staples in my abdomen.  My family and I thought this was part of recovery, but then I couldn't eat or drink any fluids.  I woke up almost two weeks after surgery and my abdomen looked like it had a basketball in it.  I sat up, and at the top of my incision, green pus began to flow out of me.  It was uncontrollable and the smell was unimaginable.  My mother and my son's mother (Shanon) rushed me to the hospital where they thankfully had a bed ready for me.  They knew I had an infection but did not know what.   My body was severely dehydrated and malnourished.  They looked at my mother and Shanon, and told us they couldn't promise Iwould it it through this, possibly not even through the night.  Shanon had to go home and tell our 8 year old son that Daddy might not make it through the night.  He covered his face with his hands and said "Mommy, my heart is breaking."  I couldn't walk or even talk I was so sick.  God gave me the strength to keep fighting so I could get home to my son.  I wasn't ready for him yet and he knew that.  The infection turned out to be E.Coli.  Our bodies all have E.coli, but this bacteria was too strong for my frail and weakend body.  In two months I went from a strong hardworking man who weighed in at 220lbs, down to a frail incapasitated 134 lb. sick man.   My mother and Shanon switched on and off every night to be at my side.  My son came to visit me everday and my fight was in his identical eyes as mine.  As the hospital and my family nursed me back to health, I was wheeled out of the hospital 18 days later.  With having the infection, the infection made a hole in my colon called a fistula that came out of my belly where the pus drained out.  I was also hooked up to hand pump to get as much infection out as possible so they did not have re-open me up. 
The next part of this war within my body was recovery from the infection and surgery.  I had to learn how to walk again, I couldn't eat due to my fistula so I had to go how on and IV line of nutrition called a TPN.  I was so weak and everyday I felt like my body would never recover.  Days of agony and sadness went by and I was able to start walking.  I went from a wheel chair, to a walker, to a cane, and now I can walk on my own for short distances.  I began to be bale to eat solid food and I now have an appetite like a bear!  My spirits are up, I feel much better than I did before.  After almost 5 months of being on this IV infusion bag and my fisutla healed, I was finally cleared to start chemotherapy.  I began chemotherapy last week.  My cancer is not curable in any form due to how advanced it is.  I am young so there are putting me on a heavy duty regiment of chemotherapy  to kill and shrink what they can.  For the next 6 months, I will be infused at the hospital every two weeks for 3 hours and then I will go home on a chemotherapy pump for 46 hours.  The average of people in my condition live an average of 2 years.  That is not enough for me.  My 8 year old son not only struggles watching this horror everyday, but he suffers from Juvenile Diabetes.  He has had this disease since he was 2 1/2 years old.  He is the love of my life, the light in my eye, and the reason I am here today.  The reason to fight until I cannot any longer.  I am not able to work and therefore cannot provide anymore for my family.  I was a laborer.  I am here only because I have run out of options.   My son's mother Shanon  is my caregiver and they are with me all the time.  I need 24 hour care so she is unable to work at this time as well.  I have a wonderful landlord, but my rent is too much.  I cannot pay my electricity bill which is around $200  a month.  I was able to get Social Security Disability, but after well deserved child support, I bring home $188 a month.  I have recently applied for food stamps and the HEAP season will start soon to help me with my electricity through the winter.  I am already terrified that at anytime things can go downhill and the fact that my cancer is terminal.  I feel like I have let my family down, there is no way I can work.  I have some medical bills and perscriptions that are not covered through my insurance.  The chemo is tough enough and I cannot stand longer than 5 or 10 minutes.  I shake constantly and have permanent nerve damage to my legs from the surgery.  My cancer is also spreading aggressivley.  My family has helped me out greatly and I am so appreciative of them, but as most of you know money can get tight and unfortunately  this is the situation I am in.  If there is anyone out there that could help my family and I out with helping me keep my apartment and the bills going, it would be a blessing to me.  I cannot lose my house and go through this cancer. If anyone could find it in their hearts to help me, I would be so thankful.  Also, thank you for taking the time to read my story, and for anyone out there suffering from cancer, hope is always there and our children keep us going.  Keep swimming my friends.