Posting:We Still Need Your Help PLEASE! – The surgery is over - and it was a miracle to our family!
PLEASE see updated info below (mid way through)
I know that this may be a long read – but PLEASE do take the time for me! You are my friends - my classmates, my family , my coworkers and all others that touch our lives (even if only through others).
I have been going through numerous tests that are required prior to a kidney transplant.
This past week, we were back at Emory Clinic for what we thought was to be the final testing.
On Thursday morning, 8/23 – I underwent a detailed MRI which included contrast dye.
By Thursday afternoon, I was contacted 4x by the chief of surgeries staff to have us report back in Friday morning for consultation on the results.
We arrived early Friday morning back at the transplant center and were immediately escorted to the main hospital to meet with a general surgeon and his staff.
Even though the area we were escorted to had an entire waiting room filled, as well as a line at the front check in desk – once they knew we were there – we were immediately taken back to a private waiting room to see the doctors and staff members.
Cut to the chase… - we were told that they found a significant spot in my pancreas and that it required immediate attention.
Yup – I was given three options
1- Do nothing (you know the end result – and as suspected - it’s quick…)
2- Do a biopsy and wait – even though he knew it was 90% real
3- Take immediate “aggressive” action and remove as much that can be and then do Chemo
Scared is not even close to what is happening right now…
Words cannot even come close to what went through our minds sitting there and having such news delivered from left field - totally out of the blue…!
In my heart I know that God does have a plan for us all – and I trust that I will be directed in the right path
We were told to go back home and get the household in order and then immediatley return back in 4 days for surgery.
I will be back at Emory this coming week and operated on Thursday morning, August 30th
I will be having 2/3'rds of my Pancreas removed, my entire Spline as well as the entire Gaul Bladder
With this being a 10 hour round trip each time, along with the length of stay in the hospital, Kristin having to stay next door at the hotel as my caregiver, having a 6 week recovery period, starting Chemo, still taking care of on child in college, two still at home still in school as well as our 2 fur babies – what costs insurance will not cover and the daily out of pocket for Kristin for lodging, meals and travel daily - you can only imagine the expense hitting us now…
I don’t ask for much form anyone – Kristin and I have always paid it forward – we have given our lives to the American Heart Association, American Diabetes Association, The Kidney Foundation and much more.
Please - PLEASE – help us by paying it forward as best you can and help us in any way that you can – whether it be donations – assistance – sharing this with as many as you possibly can and asking that they assist and move this forward to the many as well.
You are my friends – my class mates – my family – my coworkers as well as others that may spend the time to read this and hopefully care and pay it forward yourselves. We have - and now it's obviously our turn - or at least for now.
I am fighting for my life and hoping that all that read this taking it as seriously as we are and donate something (anything)! Our entire savings has now gone to medical costs and deductibles and copays over the past few years and we are as stretched as we have ever been. Please help my family by paying it forward!
As an UPDATE - the surgery was a success - (in a lot of pain still but outcome was better than ever expected)
they got the entire mass - removed the pancreas removed the entire Spline and also removed the entire Gaul Bladder. I am still recovering and still having to go back and forth to Emory - still out of work and the medical bills are coming in daily now and each bill is in the tens of thousands... And we all know what insurance will do to them and what we will be left with.
For those that can – and do – Thank you! I will be laid up and won’t be able to get on line for a while.
For those that can’t – but want to – Thank you as well - but please share with as many as possible that you feel can.
For those that don’t – no worries – please just think of the bigger picture (we are all here together and touch one another’s lives for a reason) – I ask that you just please think twice before just moving on (we would help you in a time of need of we could – without question). All I ask is that you take a minute and help us.
As an aside - Please do note - that just 10 months ago my wife had a sudden cardiac arrest and although much better today - the medical bills pilled up fast to well into the hundred thousands since the insurance company stated that they would not cover much of the costs since we were considered out of network at time of occurrence.
PLEASE see updated info below (mid way through)
I know that this may be a long read – but PLEASE do take the time for me! You are my friends - my classmates, my family , my coworkers and all others that touch our lives (even if only through others).
I have been going through numerous tests that are required prior to a kidney transplant.
This past week, we were back at Emory Clinic for what we thought was to be the final testing.
On Thursday morning, 8/23 – I underwent a detailed MRI which included contrast dye.
By Thursday afternoon, I was contacted 4x by the chief of surgeries staff to have us report back in Friday morning for consultation on the results.
We arrived early Friday morning back at the transplant center and were immediately escorted to the main hospital to meet with a general surgeon and his staff.
Even though the area we were escorted to had an entire waiting room filled, as well as a line at the front check in desk – once they knew we were there – we were immediately taken back to a private waiting room to see the doctors and staff members.
Cut to the chase… - we were told that they found a significant spot in my pancreas and that it required immediate attention.
Yup – I was given three options
1- Do nothing (you know the end result – and as suspected - it’s quick…)
2- Do a biopsy and wait – even though he knew it was 90% real
3- Take immediate “aggressive” action and remove as much that can be and then do Chemo
Scared is not even close to what is happening right now…
Words cannot even come close to what went through our minds sitting there and having such news delivered from left field - totally out of the blue…!
In my heart I know that God does have a plan for us all – and I trust that I will be directed in the right path
We were told to go back home and get the household in order and then immediatley return back in 4 days for surgery.
I will be back at Emory this coming week and operated on Thursday morning, August 30th
I will be having 2/3'rds of my Pancreas removed, my entire Spline as well as the entire Gaul Bladder
With this being a 10 hour round trip each time, along with the length of stay in the hospital, Kristin having to stay next door at the hotel as my caregiver, having a 6 week recovery period, starting Chemo, still taking care of on child in college, two still at home still in school as well as our 2 fur babies – what costs insurance will not cover and the daily out of pocket for Kristin for lodging, meals and travel daily - you can only imagine the expense hitting us now…
I don’t ask for much form anyone – Kristin and I have always paid it forward – we have given our lives to the American Heart Association, American Diabetes Association, The Kidney Foundation and much more.
Please - PLEASE – help us by paying it forward as best you can and help us in any way that you can – whether it be donations – assistance – sharing this with as many as you possibly can and asking that they assist and move this forward to the many as well.
You are my friends – my class mates – my family – my coworkers as well as others that may spend the time to read this and hopefully care and pay it forward yourselves. We have - and now it's obviously our turn - or at least for now.
I am fighting for my life and hoping that all that read this taking it as seriously as we are and donate something (anything)! Our entire savings has now gone to medical costs and deductibles and copays over the past few years and we are as stretched as we have ever been. Please help my family by paying it forward!
As an UPDATE - the surgery was a success - (in a lot of pain still but outcome was better than ever expected)
they got the entire mass - removed the pancreas removed the entire Spline and also removed the entire Gaul Bladder. I am still recovering and still having to go back and forth to Emory - still out of work and the medical bills are coming in daily now and each bill is in the tens of thousands... And we all know what insurance will do to them and what we will be left with.
For those that can – and do – Thank you! I will be laid up and won’t be able to get on line for a while.
For those that can’t – but want to – Thank you as well - but please share with as many as possible that you feel can.
For those that don’t – no worries – please just think of the bigger picture (we are all here together and touch one another’s lives for a reason) – I ask that you just please think twice before just moving on (we would help you in a time of need of we could – without question). All I ask is that you take a minute and help us.
As an aside - Please do note - that just 10 months ago my wife had a sudden cardiac arrest and although much better today - the medical bills pilled up fast to well into the hundred thousands since the insurance company stated that they would not cover much of the costs since we were considered out of network at time of occurrence.