First and foremost thank you for taking time from your day to visit my page.

Late in the night of February 13, 2024 I felt a pain building in my abdomen that eventually increased enough for a post midnight emergency room visit. A blood test was conducted and my white blood cell count was noted at 114,000. For perspective 10,000 is normal. My gallbladder was found to be defective and though unrelated, could ultimately be what saves my life. After multiple blood tests and scans a diagnosis of Chronic Lymphatic Leukemia was made. CLL is a progressive type of cancer that starts from white blood cells in the bone marrow. While there is no current cure for this disease, there have been many advancements in treatments for CLL that are significantly improving patients prognosis.

After receiving the news from CHRISTUS St. Michael in Texarkana we went to UT Southwestern Cancer Care in Dallas for a second opinion and treatment options that would be closer to home.

The initial diagnosis news was tough to hear. As a man that has overcome so many hurdles on my own through my life, for the first time I'm being faced with something that is completely out of my hands. Through prayer, support, and advances in medicine we're confident that we'll be able to move forward and fight this head on. As with any progressive form of cancer treatment, ER bills, appointments, infusion therapy, medications, as well as time away from work is ongoing and compounding. Just the first year post diagnosis has an estimated cost of around $65,000. Asking for help has never been me. I've always been on the other side. Now the time has come for me to put my pride aside and do what is necessary to make sure my family has a stable quality of life while we battle this thing together.