Jason Pompey is God fearing man, father, and friend with many interests. One of those is an avid cyclist, who is up for an adventure anytime...Yet, there are some, even Jason whose adventure can get rocky and or become a hazard course. Jason's trek with cancer began not too long after Erica and he connected.  Jason was battling what seemed symptomatic of an easily treatable and common infection.  Jason continued to follow the doctors orders and too "cycle on" with life in motion; his three children, work, school and new love. However, after months of pain and testing and prodding Jason's doctors found a spot on his bladder.  He received a chemo wash and thought all was good.  The cycle of pain continued and heightened so, Jason took a turn eastbound to begin receiving care from U of M.  Jason's "peloton" team of doctors at U of M removed a portion of Jason's bladder which in turn weeks later became a full removal and replaced with a neo-bladder (made from part of his intestine) with his nodes being completely clear.  Recovery, was going to be a big life style change. The journey to recovery was a ride to say the least.  Jason was cycling up hill with 12 infections within about 3 months!  He put himself in "granny gear" and didn't hop off, he stayed the course. With a little road rash, at six months he was clear of infections and his neo-bladder was working as planned.  Jason, you could say, he was "drafting"...he was literally riding his bike, competing in competitions, camping, and even hit the breaks to marry Erica. He had his "kit",  they both started at new jobs and they have been settling into their home they recently purchased as well as, began fundraising for his trek across New York to help the fight of childhood cancer as a cancer survivor!  About 4 months of adventuring led to these last 6 months of what seemed to be a cold he couldn't  rid, turning into respiratory congestion and discomfort, and later diagnosed with pneumonia amidst the COVID-19 (Jason attempting to take medical leave with a new job and Erica now laid off). The antibiotics were not settling and chest pain and breathing was challenging to ease, Jason was "bonked" yet again.   Consulting with local doctors Jason went in to have the fluid removed from his lungs, however more was needed than initial plan and he had tissue scraped and further testing completed.  The results were a devastating blow to Jason, spectators and peloton, as this just did not seem to be the race signed up for.  Jason has recently been diagnosed with Stage 4 cancer and more recently finding new information about the type of cancer he has.  It has been determined that what they thought was cancer of the bladder is actually Urachal Cancer which is very rare. The urachus is a canal that develops from the bladder of the fetus to the umbilicus.  It usually degenerates during the 4th month of pregnancy into a ligament band from the belly button to the bladder without future issues. Jason's had remnants that were malignant and extended into his bladder.  Jason has recently had a chemo port placed and is "gearing up" for chemo treatment in the coming weeks.  We know the days ahead will be another uphill ride. We know the many who are rallying with prayers and food packages and kind gestures to help ease the worry of responsibility as Erica and the kids spend time caring for Jason, which are greatly appreciated. We also know the burden  financially is going to hit harder considering insurance and neither of them having vested in work.  We are reaching out to you, friends and family to be a sponsor or "rider" on this next ride, as we just are so unsure of the responsibilities that will be endured on this adventure with Jason, Erica and the kids.  "...A good bicycle, well applied, will cure most ills this flesh is heir to" -Dr K.K. Doty

A note from his sons Carter and Ethan (and daughter Bella too):

To those of you who do not know, our father is a very funny, loving, and humble man who enjoys spending time with family, camping, and bicycling. But recently he has been fighting battles with cancer since he was first diagnosed with stage 3 bladder cancer two years ago. He had successfully beat that cancer and was living cancer-free for about a year, until recently he has been having complications with his lungs. He went for some testing and surgery. They found out that his cancer came back as stage 4 metastatic bladder cancer that has metastasized to his lungs and will have to undergo chemotherapy. About two weeks after finding out about that, he went to the University of Michigan to have further testing done and found out that he also has Urachal cancer which is a rare type of cancer that only less than 1% of people with bladder cancer get.

Due to my father’s medical condition, he is unable to work. On top of my father not being able to work, his wife is laid-off due to Covid-19, making for very difficult and uncertain financial circumstances. 

As everyone can imagine, the cost of treatment, surgeries, transportation, and cost of medications can be expensive and overwhelming on top of everyday costs of living. We are setting up this GoFundMe for anyone who would like to contribute to help with the medical costs and help alleviate any of the financial stresses off of him so he can focus on healing and recovering.