Support Brian's Fight Against Aggressive Cancer

Let me start by saying cancer has to be one of the most cruel conditions to experience personally or watch a loved one endure. It’s like a fire- consuming as many victims it can without care or concern for whom it affects. Brian Thrasher is my son’s, Chris Decker’s, very best friend for as long as I can possibly remember. Brian is only 32 years old. He was enjoying just a normal life of work, family, hunting, fishing, working out, etc when he was slapped with life shattering news. In April, 2024 Brian went to establish care with a new PCP and the pcp ordered a routine, in-house chest X-ray, as he does with all his new patients. To everyone’s surprise Brian had an 11cm + mass in his chest. After a biopsy it was discovered he had two types of cancer within one. Very rare… Brian received chemo all summer, well into the fall, and his mass was stable, shrinking, and the cancer markers had drastically improved. In October he and his wife, Kiely, traveled to NY for a thoracotomy (open chest) surgery to remove the mass. He did very well considering the mass involved areas of his lung and heart. Fast forward, Brian went for a followup appt last month and imaging revealed the cancerous mass had returned, and was approx 2-3 cm —yes, that rapidly. A biopsy was performed last month to determine which one of the cancers had returned, but after almost 2 weeks of waiting for the results, Brian developed complications involving compression of his pulmonary artery and superior vena cava, as the tumor is rapidly growing and had reached >11cm in size again. He’s been in Emory since Friday, January 3rd, and had a second biopsy today, as the first biopsy came back inconclusive, delaying chemo or radiation. He had a liter of fluid drained from around his heart yesterday, via thoracentesis, and endured a very long, painful night last night. The team of docs are no longer willing to keep waiting on biopsy results due to the worsening nature of Brian’s condition, and the rate of growth of the tumor. They are expected to start radiation chemotherapy tomorrow, and there’s currently no discharge date in sight due to edema and his need for supplemental oxygen. Brian has continued to work all of these months since being diagnosed last spring. He is a strong, young man, both spiritually and mentally, but can understandably no longer work at this point.

It has really weighed heavily on my heart to start this page knowing it may make him feel a little awkward. A fundraiser was conducted months ago, but this complicated, unexpected change for the worse has made expenses and missed work for Brian and Kiely face new challenges they obviously didn’t expect. It would go without saying that prayers in numbers can move mountains. Brian and Kiely are faithful followers of our God and truly hope for no more than your prayers. To share Brian’s story is to ask as many of you to pray for him as possible. Please pray for his healing, a peace of heart and mind, strength for his faith and for an understanding that God is always good and present with him even when we can’t possibly understand why this is happening.

If you are moved to give financially, thank you, thank you, thank you, on behalf of Brian. Whether you are or you aren’t able to give, please remember Brian in your prayers. Our God is mighty and present, waiting to hear our hearts and our needs.

I know this has been lengthy, but I am hoping to reach as many friends, family, friends of friends, friends of family, family of family, and others (if there’s anyone left lol) to help form a solid, praying community around Brian and Kiely as they face this together. They really do love you all.

Thank you so much for taking the time to read Brian’s story. I will update his progress here as I learn more.