*Update*

When I first published this, I (Brookes) just hoped to cover the bare minimum for my dad, and to show him he had maybe 50 people in his corner who believed in him to help his morale as he goes through what has been the worst few months of his life. After being blown away by the initial support and consulting with the people closest to us on what really lies ahead on this journey, we have adjusted the goal accordingly. I was afraid to ask for 20k. I was afraid people would think we were greedy or untrustworthy, but as my dad awaits another surgery for yet another attempted solution to keep weight on him, we are responding to the overwhelming support and adjusting the goal because of the amazing support and generosity of our community already, so thank you everyone so so so much.

**UPDATE SINCE WRITING THIS DRAFT**

Since writing this draft, my dad has started his first round of chemotherapy, and we found out that he did qualify for immunotherapy that he started immunotherapy Monday, January 20th. On January 13th at an appointment with his oncologist, due to the rapid weight loss he was directly admitted to Memorial to have a feeding tube installed. We are hopeful that this feeding tube will allow him to remain hydrated and nourished to continue fighting this with all vigor and strength possible.

On January 28, due to the nausea and difficulty of holding his tube food down, we were consulted on adjusting the tube with an extension to feed his intestine with a pump feeder so we don’t overwhelm his stomach and intestine.

On Black Friday this year we got the news that no family ever wants to hear. The issue that doctors had been investigating in his esophagus was definitely cancer. Not only was it cancer, but this particular type of cancer isn't symptomatic until later stages so what we have to look forward to after the original biopsy is more news that will be difficult to swallow. This week, through an endoscopic ultra sound and CT scan/ PET scan, we had it confirmed that my dad would be beginning a battle with stage 4 adenocarcinoma also known as esophageal cancer. We don't know all the details of prices for everything, but the symptoms my dad has been battling the past few months have rendered him basically unable to perform his job as a realtor efficiently. This means that my dad will be working with finite resources and government health care as he begins a fight for his life; a fight that will mean the difference in him potentially meeting any children we hopefully have in the future, and fulfilling our greatest wishes of him getting to be a grandfather. If you know my dad, then you know that he is one of the most loving, kind, generous, and warm people to be around that you will ever meet. I cannot tell you how many people I have met through pickleball or anything else in life that have instantly said to me, "Oh my goodness, we love your dad so much he is the BEST!" From 3.0 to 5.0's my dad has never discriminated on the pickleball court as to who he will share his love and affection with, and he genuinely is someone who wants to make other people's days and lives better every chance he has to interact with them. We want to do everything in our power to ensure that more people get to continue to be impacted by the way my dad loves others, and that my children will get to experience the same unconditional love that I, my brother, and my wife Maebry have gotten to experience as his kids thus far in our lives.

My dad will be moving in with my wife and I as soon as we have his treatment plan sent to Tennessee Oncology from his primary surgeon at St. Thomas. He will complete chemo and radiation treatment over here in Chattanooga within the support of the community here while living with us, and doing one of his favorite things on Earth; helping watch our dogs, and we will help him ensure that he is on top of his treatment plan as well as his nutrition. At the time of writing, we are unsure as to the total cost of completing everything that will be deemed necessary to help my dad fight for his life. We have already had to reschedule and delay a PET scan; something that when dealing with cancer we are told is the absolute worst thing to do due to the necessity of quick focused treatment as early as possible, because his insurance denied the PET scan. We put the second PET scan denial on our own payment so that we could go ahead and move towards starting chemo. We don't know what may come down the road that insurance may try and deny for his treatment, what may become a decision between finances and my dad's recovery. We hope to not have to worry about these things, but we have experienced the reality of the healthcare industry early on and don't want to be caught off guard by any more surprises. In an ideal world, we can keep enough money in accounts to ensure that we can pay for all treatments; whether it is chemo, radiation, immunotherapy, or his surgery, we don't want health insurance to get to decide the chances of my dad's survival as he fights this. On top of this, my dad is on a strictly liquid diet due to the nature of his cancer. This means that in order to get adequate nutrition for fighting off the cancer while in chemo and radiation, and nourishing the rest of his body to do what he needs it to do, he is on a strict protein shake diet right now. We have to find the most nourishing powders, foods, and liquids to give to him to ensure he is as strong as possible. These are things that we are happy to purchase for him as he is out of work and has been for a while, but we know that these; along with his co pays and potential operations that are necessary will inevitably add up.

So, with all of that being said, we are asking for your help. If you have never had to face down death with a loved one you are close to, then I can assure you that the last thing you want coming into the picture is the reality of dollar amounts. This is the closest interaction with death I have had with a very close loved one. To even be thinking about money running out and that being a potential hinderance in a fight for his life is a thought that I almost can't bear. If you have been impacted by my dad's life or mine and have the means to help contribute towards this fight then I cannot express enough how much we appreciate it. We have learned throughout this that life is unpredictable, with very little guaranteed, but we have been absolutely blown away by the emotional support we have received thus far. We have been humbled by the support and willingness to offer help from so many people, and it has reminded us that there is much value in life that you can instill in someone that is not a tangible object. To see the impact my dad has had on so many people and the depth of the impact has been a humbling experience as a son; one which has encouraged me to be a better man. It has reminded me of the value of each life that I come into contact with and how every moment you interact with someone is an opportunity to invest in their life being better.

Whether you read this and can contribute any money or not, we seriously are grateful for all of the thoughts, prayers, and encouragement that we have received to better prepare us for this fight. It is not a fight that I would wish on anyone; we are very early on in the process, and it has been one of if not the hardest two weeks of my life dealing with and learning the process of what happens when someone is diagnosed with cancer, but know that if you are here reading this then we are grateful for how you have impacted our lives and for your support. If you do choose to support financially, then this will go towards helping cover the expenses in paying my dad's copays, his deductibles for his procedures, his groceries and cost of living while staying with us, and general expenses while fighting for his life. We don't know the specifics of everything yet, and we are simply trying to be as prepared as possible for the mountain of expenses I am sure we will accrue over the coming months (if you want to see for yourself, you can google esophageal cancer treatment costs). It feels strange asking for an unknown amount of money for unforeseen expenses, but we want to do all that we possibly can to give my dad the best chance possible with as much urgency as possible.

I know that my dad wouldn't ask many for help, and medical expenses have been weighing on him and it makes it hard to pursue the treatment he needs, so we are asking for your help here!

Thank you for your consideration and support!

-The Jones Family