Helping Jeff (my dad) #jeffsarmy
Hello,
I’d first off like to thank everyone who has gotten this far into looking at my dad’s fundraiser.
I’d also like to mention that this would be a great time to consider joining a bone marrow registry, you could be the answer to someone else’s prayers for healing.
As many of you know beginning in the fall of 2016 my dad had received a job working night time maintenance at Wal-Mart. He was excited to be back in the workforce after having been involved in an accident November 2012 that permanently damaged his back and knee. Shortly after starting he figured his fatigue and shoulder pain was associated with being out of shape. Until he began to noticeably see a mass located under his right armpit. A doctor's appointment was set and all we could do was wait to see what test they would perform to properly determine what was happening internally. We all had our fears because the signs were present. A mass, fatigue, and sudden major weight loss were the biggest ones we noticed. Our fears were confirmed with his diagnosis of Lymphoma. Doctors worked diligently on determining if it was Hodgkins or Non-Hodgkins. We were all relieved to hear Non-Hodgkins.
By this time the mass had grown to the size of grapefruit. Treatments had been discussed on how aggressively to attack the growth. Doctors determined that the less assailing approach would be a better option. Chemo being the plan of action shrinking the size of his mass to almost nothing. Hiis pain had went down bringing his attitude up, dad had once again returned to his normal self, energy also picking up.
Until the mass returned, this time with avengeance.
From this point treatments had been administered from hospitals near his hometown of West Branch, either in west branch, tawas, or bay city. With the return on his mass, this time quadrupling in size, in what seemed overnight. His arm was no longer capable of resting in a usual resting position, it was propped up by the growth, and the pain was unimaginable. The doctors in his area had done the best they could, unfortunately dad’s case of lymphoma is out of their knowledge base. Specialists are needed. Karmanos Cancer Institute in Detroit is the best place for dad to be.
His mass now resembling the size of a basketball.
Further testing was diagnosed from the cancer specialists at Karmanos Cancer Institute upon his second stay. The rapid growth of his mass isn’t a usual symptom of Lymphoma, this worried doctors, as skin was being stretched to a breaking point. The elasticity of his skin physically had no more room to stretch with the continuous growth. Further diagnosis was delivered. Dad not only has Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma, he has Burkitt's.
In Between his stays at Karmanos while at home he had experienced several nose bleeds, fevers, and altered thoughts. Wanting to enjoy a few days home before having to head back to Detroit he attempted putting off going in as long as possible. Until the night came he was found in what used to be my bedroom at the house in west branch tangled in blankets lying on the floor saying they're after her, I have to get to her. In his state of altered thoughts he thought a group was after me and he had to get to me. Me at home in Holly, him on my old bedroom floor not remembering how he had gotten there. Doctors said had he not been brought in that night the chances of him making to see the next morning were not in his favor. He had a low white blood cell count, and a fever. It was diagnosed as neutropenic fever. This was another 6 day stay in the hospital. Where we also learned he wasn't able to eat certain foods due to microscopic bacterias, such as fresh fruit, it must be from the frozen section. His diet is greatly being altered. As of this point he is down close to 100 pounds.
From the beginning, Lymphoma isn't a usual cancer dealt with here in the united states. While 200,000 people are diagnosed annually within the states, it is still classified as a rare cancer. Burkitts is an even less commonly dealt with form of Lymphoma. “Only 1 in every 30-50 people with a B-cell non-hodgkin's lymphoma will have this type of lymphoma.” Chemo was redirected from a port to right into his synovial fluids via the spine. In order to control the spread of Lymphoma from reaching his brain, this form has to be treated with a barbaric approach. Burkitt's has to be under control before focusing again on the usual lymphoma treatments. With these treatments and the new approach his mass has been kept at bay from regaining ground. Once they feel the Burkitt's side of this battle is under control they are looking at bone marrow transplants. According to blood type they have mentioned eleven possible donors have been found. Unfortunately, at this moment, we are unsure if any of those eleven will be a willing participant in this transplant, or if it'll be a high enough percentage match. This is where we stand with my dad's battle, our battle.
While we are not the only people going through life altering burdens currently, we appreciate all of the thoughts, letters, prayers, donations, and people offering to sign up for the bone marrow registry in hopes they will be a match for my dad. The outpouring of love and support has been greatly acknowledged and well needed in these times.
While insurance does cover many costs of this process the many trips back and forth for visitations, getting to appointments, dropping him off at hospitals and getting him home, as well as the copious amounts of jello he consumes, are not covered via insurance. Anything people may have to offer is more than we could ever ask of anyone, and is astonishing, and humbling.
At the end of the day the biggest donation one has to offer is the time to keep sharing this, keep praying, and keep positive thoughts for you and us.
Humbled and amazed….Thank you.
Take some time to learn about Burkitt’s, Lymphoma, and Neutropenic fever:
https://www.lymphomas.org.uk/about-lymphoma/types/non-hodgkin-lymphoma/burkitt-lymphoma
https://g.co/kgs/IRllIF
http://chemocare.com/chemotherapy/side-effects/fever-neutropenic-fever-and-their-relationship-to-chemotherapy.aspx