Stage 4 colon cancer & flood recovery for Jeremy!
I first noticed that my brother Jeremy wasn't himself around Christmas. He was only 42, but he had lost weight, was ghostly pale, and seemed exhausted. It was understandable, though; the man worked full-time, had three children at home, and—on top of all that—was attending night school. A month later, after nearly collapsing at work, Jeremy was rushed to the hospital where his hemoglobin level was found to be only 1/3 of normal. His doctors didn't understand how he was still conscious and ordered an emergency blood transfusion. In early February 2020, Jeremy was diagnosed with stage 4 colorectal cancer that had already metastasized to his liver. With a known family history of colon cancer, Jeremy had requested a colonoscopy two years earlier, but, sadly, was told it was unnecessary because he was too young. Now here he was, having a softball-sized mass removed from his colon, receiving a liver biopsy, and attending biweekly chemotherapy sessions. Unfortunately, the chemo has only reduced his tumors by about 20% and his doctors have recommended he travel to the Mayo clinic for more aggressive, cutting-edge treatment not available locally.
COVID-19 has further complicated life for Jeremy and his family. Being immunocompromised, Jeremy is unable to work outside the home. To further lower his exposure risk, Jeremy's spouse was also advised not to work and they were forced to live off of short-term disability and savings for several months. With no other options left, his spouse has now returned to work and they are constantly fearful of him contracting COVID-19. Sadly, Jeremy cannot return to full-time work anytime soon, possibly voiding his life insurance policy. The 5-year survival rate for stage 4 colon cancer is about 14%.
As if things could not get any worse for Jeremy and his family, their house was ravaged by the recent dam break and flooding in Midland, Michigan. The barrage of emergency notifications to immediately evacuate came suddenly, leaving them no time to prepare. They were forced to flee with only the bare essentials. Almost everything in their basement and garage was destroyed, resulting in thousands of dollars in damage, along with the loss of critical appliances such as their hot water heater, refrigerator/freezer, furnace, and air conditioning system. Their homeowner’s insurance has already denied their claim and FEMA is currently issuing only loans.
We are asking for donations immediately to: help fund Jeremy’s current and future cancer treatments; replace wages lost due to immunosuppression and COVID-19; restore flood damage and replace home appliances; and support his family's future.
