Please consider donating to help Kirk as he struggles to pay recent medical bills and essential living expenses while battling cancer and preparing for an upcoming spinal surgery. My father needs financial help for the following illness-related costs:

Medical bills 27,000

Transportation/lodging for surgery 1,000

Rent & living expenses 2,000

Total 30,000

 

If you are unable to contribute financially, I encourage you to leave words of encouragement and/or to reach out by phone as he would love to hear from friends at this time.

 

We all know Kirk as active, funny, and a selfless friend with a positive attitude. He has been an operating engineer for 36 years with no major illnesses prior to the last two years. If you’re in the Shandon/Paso Robles area, you can thank him in part for making a safer highway 46. Beginning in October 2020, he was forced to stop working after he experienced a detached retina and immediately needed eye surgery. As a result, he had to undergo another two eye surgeries for a macular pucker and cataracts. At this point he hoped he could go back to work.

 

Then in February 2021, doctors found a pea-sized dark mole on his side. After blood work, two biopsies, dermatologist visits, four more biopsies, a PET scan, and an MRI an oncologist diagnosed him with advanced malignant melanoma. This was a month later and the dark mole had grown to the size of a grape. It was decided surgery would be too invasive so they would try immunotherapy, which involves a two-hour intravenous (IV) treatment every three weeks. The treatment physically exhausts and nauseates him for a week after each visit. Another pet scan and MRI of his brain were taken, showing the brain was clear and the cancer had not metastasized, we were so relieved. His oncologist has decided to try another round of immunotherapy and check again.

 

Then in July, he woke up one morning after doing yard work and couldn’t raise his right arm at all. After chiropractor visits, x-rays, and two MRIs he was told he has spinal stenosis with one herniated disc and one degenerative disc. He saw a neurosurgeon who determined that surgery was needed soon. Surgery was scheduled for October 28, 2021. Kirk thought that after recovery he could work again. Unfortunately, the surgery was not a success as it was called off when his blood pressure dropped dangerously low under anesthesia. He was then referred to Stanford for an additional surgery. After waiting until February for a consultation, he was given a surgery date of April 23, 2022.

 

Kirk has been in a good mood throughout all of this, looking forward to recovery, working, and being able to enjoy his favorite hobbies again. He frequently suffers from unusual side effects as a result of the immunotherapy and the failed spinal surgery. He has now lost 40 pounds and his muscles in his upper body have begun to atrophy so much that sitting up or getting into the car have become painfully difficult.

 

His disability ran out in November, and now all of his financial savings are gone. On January 31st his insurance ended due to being unable to work. He decided it would be best to apply for his pension but it won’t come through until late May 2022. He needs help with rent, essential living expenses, medical bills, and transportation/lodging costs for the surgery in Stanford. Kirk will need extensive rehabilitation, but he will have insurance by then to continue with the costs of recovery.

 

Your support is greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance.

 

(photo from June 2020)

 

with love, Summer Hoy