Mike Wiens Cancer Support Fund

Known for his pristine guitar playing and passion for music, Mike Wiens is a name and face many around town have come to know and love. He is a friend to some, family to others and beloved husband to his wife Sherry. You've heard him play for years, more recently in Big Bear as a part of Catz in the Hatz, Highway 38 and Leather & Lace, to name a few.

Mike is about to embark on a long journey fighting stage 4 cancer affecting his tongue, mouth and lymph nodes of the neck. It is an aggressive and fast-spreading form of the disease. He will be undergoing a 12-hour surgery tomorrow, January 25, 2018, to remove most of his tongue leaving only the muscle that assists him with swallowing, and will rebuild the tongue as best they can with tissue from his thigh. Mike will have what everyone hopes to be a temporary trachea to assist him with breathing and a feeding tube directly to his stomach as he will not be able to eat orally for some time. In addition, Mike will have to have chemotherapy and radiation to eliminate the remaining cancer, followed by intense therapy to help him learn how to speak and swallow again.

Mike while they would never ask for it, he and Sherry need your help. The expenses are going to rapidly get out of hand with medical, gas and mileage, and hotel costs during this process, not to mention there will not be Mike's income to support general day-to-day household and living costs.

We've started the fundraising goal at $10,000. If all of us could dig deep and throw even a small amount into the pot, we could really help offset the stress of money when Mike needs to focus on the battle ahead, and Sherry needs to focus on supporting him through it. Also, there will be times we need to support them in service, i.e., helping with their dog Dakota, grocery runs, an occasional ride or shoulder to lean on ... Lord knows they'll need it. Thank you in advance for any in-kind donations to the cause!