This is my brother. I am keeping his name private out of respect--please remember this if you know him and decide to post a comment. He has stage 4 esophageal adenocarcinoma (cancer) that has spread and is inoperable. He started his first round of chemotherapy on Thursday. My brother and his wife Sara have two boys who adore their father, and we’re trying to help out their family, so I wanted to put together a fundraiser for him. We have one already on FB but wanted to make it widely shareable through GoFundMe. Here is his story:
Early this year, my brother started getting a cough. He didn’t know why he had this cough, but it didn’t seem serious. In March when he started having difficulty swallowing, his wife convinced him to go to the doctor. But because of the COVID-19 public health crisis, he could not get an appointment for an endoscopy to see what was wrong. His wife had to call various clinics, and the earliest appointment they could get was for June. By late May, he could not eat solid food--only liquids. On June 3rd, he went in for the endoscopy. The doctor was shocked to find how horrible his esophagus looked because he didn’t look sick at all on the outside. They did a biopsy immediately at the appointment and told him the results would be back in 2 weeks. My nurse sister advocated for him because he was not going to last 2 weeks on a liquid diet--he had already lost weight. It was also torture for him to keep doing his job at the pizza place while going hungry. They put a rush on the biopsy results and they came back--he had esophageal adenocarcinoma, and it was inoperable. Unfortunately, the cancer center’s earliest available appointment was not until July 15th. My brother could not have survived on liquids alone until then. After searching for other ways to get an earlier appointment, my sister grew desperate and took him to the ER on June 10th. She pleaded that they not neglect him. Thankfully they admitted him--he was only 130 lbs (59 kg) upon admittance and was losing weight. They did tests and scans to see how bad the cancer is and how far it has spread. He’s had a stent placed in his throat to help him swallow, which has been very painful and which took his voice. He started his first round of chemotherapy on June 18th after being treated for an infection. Because he still can’t swallow well enough, he just had a PEG surgery to put a tube in his stomach and is being given a special nutritional formula. His prognosis is not good and we don’t know how much time he has left.
My brother hasn’t been able to see his kids or wife since June 10th because the hospital has to abide by COVID regulations, which means no visitors, not even my nurse sister. We got him a smartphone so he could see his family and talk to my dad and my other sister (both overseas and unable to travel). The stent in his throat prevents him from being able to talk to them much more than 30 words in a whisper without feeling exhausted, so conversations are pretty short. His 5 year-old tells him, “I’m worried about you, Daddy.”
My brother, although having a 4-year degree, has earned a modest living delivering pizzas, which he can no longer do since he’s so sick. Sara is an education assistant at the public schools in Albuquerque. She is an English-language learner and could not afford to have a car of her own. The one car he had used for work to deliver pizzas broke down the night before he went to the ER. Without his income, she won’t be able to afford their bills and will be at risk of losing their home. My brother doesn’t have anything significant in the way of work benefits, given his employment type. His disability benefits payments don’t arrive at earliest until 5 months from now (standard waiting period) and until then, Sara can’t live on her income alone trying to support two kids during the waiting period.
My brother and Sara have had very challenging lives and have experienced things no one should experience. They’re loving parents who are trying to cope with the coming months and the anticipated effects on their children. So we’re asking that if you are able to donate to support Sara and my brother’s family, please do. No amount is too small. Also, please share, share, share! Thank you all!!!
Early this year, my brother started getting a cough. He didn’t know why he had this cough, but it didn’t seem serious. In March when he started having difficulty swallowing, his wife convinced him to go to the doctor. But because of the COVID-19 public health crisis, he could not get an appointment for an endoscopy to see what was wrong. His wife had to call various clinics, and the earliest appointment they could get was for June. By late May, he could not eat solid food--only liquids. On June 3rd, he went in for the endoscopy. The doctor was shocked to find how horrible his esophagus looked because he didn’t look sick at all on the outside. They did a biopsy immediately at the appointment and told him the results would be back in 2 weeks. My nurse sister advocated for him because he was not going to last 2 weeks on a liquid diet--he had already lost weight. It was also torture for him to keep doing his job at the pizza place while going hungry. They put a rush on the biopsy results and they came back--he had esophageal adenocarcinoma, and it was inoperable. Unfortunately, the cancer center’s earliest available appointment was not until July 15th. My brother could not have survived on liquids alone until then. After searching for other ways to get an earlier appointment, my sister grew desperate and took him to the ER on June 10th. She pleaded that they not neglect him. Thankfully they admitted him--he was only 130 lbs (59 kg) upon admittance and was losing weight. They did tests and scans to see how bad the cancer is and how far it has spread. He’s had a stent placed in his throat to help him swallow, which has been very painful and which took his voice. He started his first round of chemotherapy on June 18th after being treated for an infection. Because he still can’t swallow well enough, he just had a PEG surgery to put a tube in his stomach and is being given a special nutritional formula. His prognosis is not good and we don’t know how much time he has left.
My brother hasn’t been able to see his kids or wife since June 10th because the hospital has to abide by COVID regulations, which means no visitors, not even my nurse sister. We got him a smartphone so he could see his family and talk to my dad and my other sister (both overseas and unable to travel). The stent in his throat prevents him from being able to talk to them much more than 30 words in a whisper without feeling exhausted, so conversations are pretty short. His 5 year-old tells him, “I’m worried about you, Daddy.”
My brother, although having a 4-year degree, has earned a modest living delivering pizzas, which he can no longer do since he’s so sick. Sara is an education assistant at the public schools in Albuquerque. She is an English-language learner and could not afford to have a car of her own. The one car he had used for work to deliver pizzas broke down the night before he went to the ER. Without his income, she won’t be able to afford their bills and will be at risk of losing their home. My brother doesn’t have anything significant in the way of work benefits, given his employment type. His disability benefits payments don’t arrive at earliest until 5 months from now (standard waiting period) and until then, Sara can’t live on her income alone trying to support two kids during the waiting period.
My brother and Sara have had very challenging lives and have experienced things no one should experience. They’re loving parents who are trying to cope with the coming months and the anticipated effects on their children. So we’re asking that if you are able to donate to support Sara and my brother’s family, please do. No amount is too small. Also, please share, share, share! Thank you all!!!