Steve Sellars Cancer Fund

This is a request for Steve Sellars’ friends to come together to help him through his current crisis.  A few weeks ago he was diagnosed with laryngeal cancer.  He has to have both chemotherapy and radiation.  His medical oncologist said that his chemo will be “rough.”  Radiating his throat will mean no saliva and difficulty swallowing.  He has an IV port in his chest, and may have to have a feeding port in his stomach.  It’s a very serious situation.

Steve “Stinky” Sellars has been part of my family’s life for almost 40 years.  My Dad, Terry Hill, and Steve met and started playing music 40 years ago this coming November and have been fast friends and played together (Dogwater, The Bookhouse Boys and others) ever since.  My brother and I have affectionately called him “Uncle Stinky” for as long as I can remember.  Steve moved to Oregon 2 ½ years ago for the milder climate and because my parents were already there.  Other than health, he’s done well in Oregon, but he’s had far more health issues than it’s fair for any one person to have.

He had a heart attack and other ailments while still in Montana, and was diagnosed with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, which is incurable and causes difficulty in breathing as well as lack of energy and difficulty exercising.  After he got to Oregon, he’s had sinus and nasal surgery twice, had a second heart attack and got a pacemaker/defibrillator implanted, and now he’s facing a cancer fight.

His medical costs are covered by his insurance, but having just gone through cancer myself, I can attest that there are countless expenses that are absolutely necessary, but not covered by insurance.  Steve will have to have his radiation treatments five days per week at a hospital 65 miles from his home.  He will either have to travel back and forth every day, or more likely stay in temporary housing in Corvallis.  He will have to buy special foods and nutitional supplements, pay for a massive amount of gas (it’s currently $3.50 per gallon on the coast), buy special clothing, and any number of costs that I can’t think of right now.  It’s a daunting prospect, and financial worries are not helping him get through this.

Steve, like my parents, is retired and on a fixed income, with little room for extras.  Here’s one cost I just thought of:  My dad will want to go visit Steve frequently if he has to stay by himself 65 miles away, but Dad can’t afford extra money for gas any more than Steve can.  So you see what a problem it is.

That’s why I’m asking all of you (and there are quite a few – Steve has 650 or so friends on Facebook!) to give what you can to help.  Many of you have donated to help Steve before, but please think of this – have you ever heard of Steve refusing to play for a benefit, any time, any where?  So for all of us who care for this goofy lovable guitar player, let’s do our best to help him through this crisis.    My own experience tells me that thoughts and prayers are very nice, but nothing really helps like money.   Thank you in advance.