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Please help Ken James

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My dad, Ken James, has had a bit of bad luck lately. He is stubborn and had a cough for a good month before going to the doctor. He was having troubles breathing, and when he would get into a coughing fit, his arms would turn 'sunburn red' from a lack of oxygen. He found out that he had pretty severe pneumonia and was put on steroids and an antibiotic. He waited a whole month longer before going back to the doctor because his cough wasn't going away and it was still hard to breathe. They did an x-ray and found a 'large mass' in his lung. He went back a few days later and had a ct scan done which confirmed that there was a mass and it's size. It is 3cm × 6cm, which in the medical field is classified as large. Today he had a meeting with a lung doctor that told him he does have emphysema, but he will need a biopsy to find out what kind of mass we are dealing with. He was told he had emphysema back on 11/11/97 and quit smoking cold-turkey that day. He was later cleared saying that it had gone away. He hasn't smoked for 20years this year, but obviously that hasn't helped. He is scheduled for a biopsy tomorrow and a follow-up on Monday. He is missing a lot of work and already owes $1,500 for the testing that he has had. This isn't including doctor visits with specialists and upcoming testing and visits. His job as a mechanic for a private business doesn't offer 'real' insurance, he has Aflac insurance in case he gets injured on the job. My mom's job at Casey's does not offer good insurance either, so it wasn't worth putting him on it. All of his medical bills will be out of pocket, not to mention the time off of work. He just told me today how bad it is getting and I don't want him to have anything else to worry about. I want him to focus on getting better, especially if it's cancer. He doesn't need any more stress. I am currently on medical leave from work for my gallbladder surgery and recovery. Luckily I can take him to his appointments where he has to have pain killers and be sedated, but I am 34weeks pregnant and I can not help him financially. We are not the kind of people to ask for help and definitely not hand-outs, but we are stuck between a rock and a hard place. We NEED your help!! Every dollar counts!! I have made the goal higher than we need because I read that go fund me takes a percentage. I am not even really sure how much we need, but I know that medical bills add up fast. I just want to say thank you for even taking the time to read this! We have had so much moral support and prayers already, I just hope that we don't need too much more. I am hoping and praying for the best and keeping thoughts positive. His lung doctor is expecting the worst but hoping to prove him wrong!! I sure hope so! I can't even think about losing my dad at this point. 54 yrs old is too young!! I have to stay strong for him, my 2children, and the one on the way. Stressing over something that may not even be, is not an option. We are taking this one day at a time.. Thank you again for your support, even if you can only offer prayers, we will take what we can get!

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Donations 

  • Ruth Bricker
    • $25 
    • 6 yrs
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Organizer

Heather Meendering
Organizer
Dallas Center, IA

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