It started with what seemed to be a routine hernia surgery for my dad. He had put it off for several months because he always wanted to get things done around the house first.
Finally, he was scheduled for a double surgery in late February. His doctor warned it would be a pretty tough recovery doing both sides of his groin area at once but dad wanted it done in one swoop.
The morning of his surgery, I called him to send my love because I couldn't be there with him and mom. I live two states away and had just started a new position at work and felt it wouldn't be right to be away from work so soon especially for a routine surgery. But the guilt of not being there was suffocating. Something in me just said I should be there for them. I hung up the phone and off to work I went. Mid-morning I was thrilled to get a text from my oldest sister that she had drove down to be with them and relayed that dad has just gone into surgery. All seemed routine.
And then the phone call. The surgeon upon making his incision knew immediately that something was terribly wrong upon entering the area with the worst hernia. The tissue which is suppose to be thin like paper was thick like leather. He knew the warning signs so proceeded to explore rather than repair the hernia. It was on his exploration that he detected the cancerous mucin and suspected pseudomyxoma-peritonei also known as appendix cancer or jelly belly. It is extremely rare with only 1 in a million being diagnosed per year.
The surgeon closed dad up and headed to the waiting room to relay the news to mom, my sister and a few other family members. Since then we've been in a fog.
There is no cure.
The best we can do is slow it down and keep him comfortable. It's to risky to do what they call a chemowash so chemotherapy is now being administered for a 12 week period. Every two weeks he goes in gets hooked up for five hours while it drips then he goes home with a bag that administers chemo for another 48 hours.
Dad spent his 70th birthday being debulked, as they call it. Removing the tumor, the ruptured appendix and extracting as much of the mucin as they could. How he ever survived the ruptured appendix is nothing short of a miracle.
He is now on treatment 5 of 12 but the bloating has returned indicating the likelihood that the mucin is regrowing. We will know the outcome late next week.
Mom and dad live on social security and Medicare only covers so much. The hospital has been helping but expenses are mounting. Just the commuting over an hour and half one way takes its toll on their fixed income.
Many have asked me what they can do to help and up to this point I believed we could do this without assistance. I'm sure I was in denial of the entire thing. It's obvious that the medical bills and travel expenses are getting out of control so it is with heavy heart that I write this and accept the kindness many have offered previously.
I would like to help ease their minds of some of their expenses so the reason for the gofundme page.
It is very humbling to write this and even more disheartening; it means I've faced the truth.
This page is a Love For Lee outreach. A way for me to help and give back to my parents.
Thank you in advance for any gift you feel led to give but first and foremost please remember them in your prayers.
God Bless.
Finally, he was scheduled for a double surgery in late February. His doctor warned it would be a pretty tough recovery doing both sides of his groin area at once but dad wanted it done in one swoop.
The morning of his surgery, I called him to send my love because I couldn't be there with him and mom. I live two states away and had just started a new position at work and felt it wouldn't be right to be away from work so soon especially for a routine surgery. But the guilt of not being there was suffocating. Something in me just said I should be there for them. I hung up the phone and off to work I went. Mid-morning I was thrilled to get a text from my oldest sister that she had drove down to be with them and relayed that dad has just gone into surgery. All seemed routine.
And then the phone call. The surgeon upon making his incision knew immediately that something was terribly wrong upon entering the area with the worst hernia. The tissue which is suppose to be thin like paper was thick like leather. He knew the warning signs so proceeded to explore rather than repair the hernia. It was on his exploration that he detected the cancerous mucin and suspected pseudomyxoma-peritonei also known as appendix cancer or jelly belly. It is extremely rare with only 1 in a million being diagnosed per year.
The surgeon closed dad up and headed to the waiting room to relay the news to mom, my sister and a few other family members. Since then we've been in a fog.
There is no cure.
The best we can do is slow it down and keep him comfortable. It's to risky to do what they call a chemowash so chemotherapy is now being administered for a 12 week period. Every two weeks he goes in gets hooked up for five hours while it drips then he goes home with a bag that administers chemo for another 48 hours.
Dad spent his 70th birthday being debulked, as they call it. Removing the tumor, the ruptured appendix and extracting as much of the mucin as they could. How he ever survived the ruptured appendix is nothing short of a miracle.
He is now on treatment 5 of 12 but the bloating has returned indicating the likelihood that the mucin is regrowing. We will know the outcome late next week.
Mom and dad live on social security and Medicare only covers so much. The hospital has been helping but expenses are mounting. Just the commuting over an hour and half one way takes its toll on their fixed income.
Many have asked me what they can do to help and up to this point I believed we could do this without assistance. I'm sure I was in denial of the entire thing. It's obvious that the medical bills and travel expenses are getting out of control so it is with heavy heart that I write this and accept the kindness many have offered previously.
I would like to help ease their minds of some of their expenses so the reason for the gofundme page.
It is very humbling to write this and even more disheartening; it means I've faced the truth.
This page is a Love For Lee outreach. A way for me to help and give back to my parents.
Thank you in advance for any gift you feel led to give but first and foremost please remember them in your prayers.
God Bless.