On the Friday before Spring Break Sean/Dad began having some serious abdominal pain that we thought was perhaps an intestinal infection. By Saturday morning the pain had really increased so we took him to the ER where they said he had a blockage in his intestine. By Monday they had surmised that it was most likely a cancerous blockage in his large intestine. This sent us reeling. We are a very close large family and we’ve had our share of medical drama but it was usually Jeri/Mom in the hospital with Multiple Sclerosis issues, Not Sean/Dad! He’s usually healthy as a horse.  So Monday evening they took out part of his large intestine and left him with a temporary ostomy that they would repair after they dealt with his malignancy. They determined that he had an adenocarcinoma stage 3 that had moved into the lymph nodes and also moved into the bladder. They also removed the tumor that was in the bladder but we are unsure exactly how bad or what type that is at this point. He will certainly need significant time off work. He has applied for disability. Jeri is unable to work full time and her medical doctors recently confirmed this- she works part time as a “real life” Mary Poppins for a local paramedic’s family and that’s a part time job and just enough hours for her. More than that wouldn’t be healthy. Our older girls are working as much as they can. We also still need drivers to get kids to activities and to appointments and stuff. Please consider giving. I don’t know why we end up here so often. But know that I am grateful that I can reach out and know you are here for us. And that you care about what happens to us. I know we are not alone. I’m not panicking yet, We are taking each moment as it comes and we are grateful that for today we have each other and we have you. Thanks for anything you can do. Even just sharing is something. This has been so hard and I know we are weary of Covid and the quarantine and everyone wants to move on from drama- really, I get it. That is me too. I just wanted to move OOOOON. But I can’t wake up from this nightmare. I had plans of travel or vacations or fun things we could do —-but unfortunately, Cancer waits for no man. And we are just gonna do this instead.

and. If you can’t give or share... this is what you can do and you can do it right now. If you are 45 or older, you will pick up your phone and schedule your colonoscopy RIGHT NOW. And if you are not 45 or older but you care about some who is you will text them every single day until they do. Make it your mission to save their lives. Sean’s surgeon admitted that if he had done his colony last year at age 50- he would not have had the adenocarcinoma. 

So. Think on that. And please give and share. Please I have so far to go and I’m terrified.