Jerry's Medical and Living Expenses

My name is Charleen, daughter in law of Jerry Lamb, I have been watching my in-laws struggle a great deal this last year, with medical, emotional, and financial hardship. Gerald (known as Jerry, or Stumpy to the locals), started having abdominal pain October of 2016. With Numerous doctor visits and ER visits they could not discover what was going on. Finally a MRI was done, finding a spot on his Pancreas.  He was diagnosed March 13th of 2017 with Pancreatic Cancer Stage 2. Devastation went through the entire family! But Jerry was ready to take the challenge of his life—for his life, for his FAMILY! He began Chemotherapy April 11th 2017. Jerry kept is Pride through all the torture, because we ALL new at the end of it, that tumor was going to shrink and the doctors would remove it! And He would be our Warrior. But come November 27th, the surgeon informed him that YES the tumor did shrink, but it’s too close to his main artery (an artery that runs through the pancreas) that they cannot do the surgery. Jerry was crushed but still willing to fight, he accepted the next step in fighting for his life, Radiation and Chemo for 6 total weeks, 5 days a week. With lots of prayers from friends and family and local prayer soldiers, we plead that this coming week we get the best new possible. He finalized his harsh 6 weeks of chemo and radiation. And just when he thought he’d start feeling better his body had other plans. He began running high fevers and having excruciating abdominal pain. They found his gallbladder was inflamed and irritated, and needed to be removed. But with just ending chemo and radiation AND with the surgery we ALL want (to have his pancreatic tumor removed) he has to wait and deal with the pain.

                Next week he has a full schedule of tests and appointments. We all desperately awaiting Friday, when we will be told if surgery is possible. He is on the schedule for January 30th for the WHIPPLE PROCEDURE, a procedure where the surgeon removes the head of the pancreas, the gallbladder, part of the duodenum (upper portion of small intestine), a small portion of the stomach, and the lymph nodes near the head of the pancreas. We ask for prayers that this time, the tumor shrunk enough AWAY from that main artery.  IF he cannot have the surgery, he has been told he will have to endure chemo the rest of his life.

                However, with the New Year, and our benefits start over. Jerry had met his out of pocket expenses last year, his pharmacy copays were little and with help from family he was able to make it. But everything is a fresh start now, to have his medications filled, pay for his COBRA Insurance he’s left with almost nothing. We are calling the help of everyone who can help. We have a lot on our plates with the upcoming week, but will be addressing and researching new insurance “hopefully”!! Your donations will help Jerry greatly with his medical expenses, filling his medications, paying for his COBRA premiums, and much more. We, his entire family, appreciate everyone’s help, prayers, and donations!

Updates to come!