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HELP TOM TACKLE CANCER!

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On May 23, 2018 Tom was working in Pennsylvania, on a pipeline. He had called his wife as he usually did before he starts his morning. He said he wasn't feeling good and his right side was hurting. They face timed with each other from there. She could tell from his face he was in pain but Tom downplayed it and explained that it was probably just a kidney stone. She told him that he needed to go in and be seen. But as most pipeliners out there he put himself after his job and said he would take care of it after work.  He face timed with his wife after he had gotten to work and She could see the pain he was in. She told him he needed to get with his technician and go in and be seen now,  that something is wrong.  After an hour and half of pleading with him, Tom finally agreed to leave work and go to the hospital.  He spoke with his technician and left the R.O.W. to head to the Emergency Room. After he arrived and was seen by the Doctor, a urine sample was taken and a CT scan was ordered. The doctor gave Tom something to help with the pain and then he just had to wait for the results. After a hour and a half the doctor came in and sat down with him and said "Its not a kidney stone." The Doctor put his scan up on the viewer and showed Tom that the spot is a mass on your kidney. It is 13.3cm. And  there is also a spot on his lung that  they are not sure of because the ct scan cut it off because they were only examining his kidneys. The doctor informed Tom that they needed to do more tests immediately. They were going to set Tom up with Doctors in P.A. but Tom said "No, I am going home to my wife and my doctors in Michigan." That's when Tom called his wife. He said "babe, Its not a kidney stone. I have a mass on my right kidney and something on my lung. I am coming home." He packs up his apartment and on the road he goes to Michigan. They talked every hour on the hour for the 8 hour drive home, while they both struggled to comprehend the news they had just recieved.  Tom met his wife in the driveway when he arrived home and they held on to one another for what seemed like forever. While Tom was making the trek home, his wife was busy making all the arrangements for Tom to be seen by his Doctor right away. Tom's Doctor set him up with a kidney specialist that day and a lung specialist the following day. Over the next three weeks Tom was put through test after test until finally on June 5th, 2018 a diagnosis was confirmed.  Tom has stage 4 Renal Clear Cell Carcinoma in his right kidney that metastasized to his right lung. On June 11 he had the right middle lobe wedged out of his lung and tested. The test Confirmed it is the same kind of cancer. Tom was Referred to Oncology on June 27. The final determination is that Tom has a 13.3cm mass on his right kidney. 2.3cm mass on his right lung, which was removed. The cancer has also metastasized in his Lymph nodes and both adrenal glands. The treatment program is a course of 12 rounds of immunotherapy that began on July 12. Toms journey begins.
DUE to the course of treatments he has to receive Tom has been pulled away from his profession of 11 years. Tom performs industrial radiography( xray) for pipelines and is known as the "Spaniard crawler work horse. " As a pipeliner Tom has endured endless hours of work in downright miserable conditions, rain, sleet, snow, freezing temperatures and blistering heat. Many people ask why and his answer is the same as most of us pipeliners. He does it for his family. He is married to a wonderful wife of 17 years. With a blended family of 4 sons and 1 daughter with their spouses. As well as the blessings of 6 blended grandchildren, 3 granddaughters and 3 grandsons. He thinks of them often and loves  them dearly. He Misses them as he works on the road but he gets through it knowing he is working to take care of his family needs.
With these treatments that Tom has been getting he has not been able to work very much because he can not travel for long periods of time. He has to stay close to home and his doctors and as many of us pipeliners know the jobs are always away from home for sometime.
Tom and his wife were in the process of closing on their forever home when they were struck with this terrible blow. They had to walk away from their home and continue to live in the rental they have occupied for the last 8 years. As many of us know when it rains, it pours and their landlord has recently decided to sell the rental property. So now Tom and his wife are faced with the problem of finding a new home, and fighting Toms battle.
Stress is not helping Tom TACKLE cancer. The financial burden of not being able to work, topped off with the medical bills, regular bills and now having to find a new place to call home is keeping Tom from focusing on the most important thing. Staying positive and kicking Cancers Butt.
Reaching out for help is very hard and especially for this couple as they are typically the ones helping others out. Helping them financially will give Tom the peace of mind to focus on his treatment and health. This is a time to help out this couple, family/dad, son, brother, uncle, cousin, nephew or friend.
Anything, any amount and ALL PRAYERS ACCEPTED.

THANK YOU IN ADVANCE
AND GOD BLESS
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Donations 

  • Jason Spivey
    • $100 
    • 5 yrs
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Organizer and beneficiary

Dallas N Halie
Organizer
Jackson, MI
Sherry Vasquez
Beneficiary
Raised $1,475 from 12 donations

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