Jeremy Burns - Stage 4 Colon Cancer Negotiator

Hi Folks, My name is Jeremy Burns - Colon Cancer Negotiator. In September of 2020 I was diagnosed with Stage 4 Colon Cancer; metastasized to my liver. As a husband and father of two young kiddos (4 & 5 at the time) this diagnosis cracked me wide open. It turns out, getting cracked wide open, both physically and emotionally, can teach you a thing or two. The experience of the last 18 months has been transformative; the Connection & Love continues to change me.

Two major surgeries and a whole lot of Chemotherapy also changed me; my last two scans were clear!

 

Why GoFundMe?

 

After the sprint of surgeries and Chemotherapy we are just now picking up the pieces. The timing coincided with dear friends approaching us with the idea of an Annual Community Benefit Run; asking what we thought about the first one going to support us. We were moved.

 

The First annual 'Boquet Community Fund Run: Run For Love' will take place on Saturday, June 18th. The mission of the annual Run is: 'Providing financial and emotional support to people in our community experiencing illness or loss'.

 

There will be two distances for the run: Half Marathon & 5K

We are asking for a suggested donation of:

$50 for the Half Marathon

$25 for the 5K
A portion of the registration donation will go towards costs of running the event. 

 

You are welcome to donate less or more as your situation allows and Heart Desires!

 

Please know, running is not required! You can just come for the event.

If you aren't able to make it for the run and would still like to make a donation; you may also do so on this site.

 

If you would like to Run; please complete this form: Run For Love

 

Date: Saturday, June 18th

Check In: 9:00

Start: 10:00

 

How will we put the donations to use?

 

Let me start by saying; asking for donations feels a little funny. We are blessed and things could be much worse. There are countless examples of people supporting us while we were in the thick of it. At the same time, we've been through some stuff over the last year+ and will be catching up for a while.

 

There are three main areas that we will put the donations towards.

 

1 - Pay down some of the debt accrued over the last year as a result of All Things Cancer; multiple years of a High deductible Health Care plan, lack of a full paycheck for almost a year, and other costs both large and small. We have melted more than one credit card.......

 

2- Living Healthier. The Liver and Lungs is where Colon Cancer typically spreads. With my Liver checked off the list we are all paying close attention to my lungs. One of the first questions I was asked after diagnosis was 'do you ever experience shortness of breath?' Side note - it is really difficult to not think you are experiencing shortness of breath after that question......

With a new focus on air quality we are taking steps to transform our little (500sq/ft) Home into a healthier space. When we first purchased our home 7+ years ago it was very much more of a camp. It had no heat (we have heat now!), minimal insulation and lots of mold. Since then we have removed much moldy wet wood and rodent infested insulation. We could sometimes SEE the air in our house. You are not supposed to see air. Over the last 6 months it has been transformed. The air is now brighter, cleaner and invisible. Some of the donations will go towards this effort.

 

3 - A Camper. Let me explain: when I first received my diagnosis we got the 'This doesn't look good' talk. I was sitting in our Minivan, considering that talk, three floors below ground in the parking garage of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. It was soon after my Colon Surgery; I was preparing to ascend to the 11th floor to begin my first round of Chemotherapy. The possibility of having just one to three years to live was simmering in my Mind & Heart.

I made a decision.

I called Wayne at Scamp travel trailers and put a down payment on a trailer. I decided our family was going to squeeze every bit of together time and experiences out of however much time we had. While my long term prognosis is still a big question mark, it's much better than it was. It feels more important than ever to stay true to that vision. This is why, despite all of our other staggering debt, we are prioritizing experiences together via a Scamp travel trailer.

 

Why a goal of $8,008?

 

GoFundMe has a number of recommendations for setting a goal. One recommendation was to use a goal amount that reflects the actual financial loss. While, as I said earlier, things could be worse for us; our financial hole is a bit too deep to ethically ask for help with its entirety.

$8,008, for us, is a life changing amount of money. It will buy us some time and allow us to chip away at some of the priorities listed above. $8,008 is a Palindrome; I find comfort in something still recognizable after being flipped upside-down and turned around. Thanks to the ongoing support of folks that Love us; our life is now, thankfully, still recognizable.

 

Thank You for reading & engaging with our experience!

 

With a Heart that is Cracked Wide Open & full of Thankfulness & Love,

Jeremy & Family

 

Post Script: Photo Credit - Emily Lord Photography Our Dear Friend Emily is a Super Star!