Dan
In May of 2018, I was diagnosed with Stage IV Metastatic Melanoma. It was a recurrence from eighteen years prior, which we had thought was in remission. Apparently, cancer cells remained dormant in me for years and now the disease has returned such that my liver has more than doubled in volume due to tumor growth. They found tumors in my lungs as well. After numerous treatments (immunotherapy, chemotherapy, targeted checkpoint inhibitors, radiation...) the cancer has continued its aggression into my spine. We've decided to stop treatment and begin our relationship with hospice.
It is difficult to say whether this was the easiest or the hardest decision for us to make, but one thing is very clear: it is the RIGHT decision. I have been living with nightmarish pain for long enough. And now that we've exhausted our treatment options, I'm honestly feeling tremendous relief at the prospect of shifting the attention from an uphill, losing battle to instead focus on quality time with my family, my comfort and my actual well-being.
Obviously, I have been unable to work for a while now. Thankfully, we have managed to keep our head above water, especially due to generous friends and family who have helped along the way. However, as we reach the endgame and so many people ask us how they can help or contribute, we hope that this GoFundMe campaign can help ease the financial stress and allows our family to better enjoy each other while we can.
It is difficult to say whether this was the easiest or the hardest decision for us to make, but one thing is very clear: it is the RIGHT decision. I have been living with nightmarish pain for long enough. And now that we've exhausted our treatment options, I'm honestly feeling tremendous relief at the prospect of shifting the attention from an uphill, losing battle to instead focus on quality time with my family, my comfort and my actual well-being.
Obviously, I have been unable to work for a while now. Thankfully, we have managed to keep our head above water, especially due to generous friends and family who have helped along the way. However, as we reach the endgame and so many people ask us how they can help or contribute, we hope that this GoFundMe campaign can help ease the financial stress and allows our family to better enjoy each other while we can.
