Chapter 2

Chemotherapy

What’s next? the next part of the story for Bill, as if chemotherapy wasn’t enough for anybody facing a cancer diagnosis, he now has to face the reality that his heart may not be strong enough to whether the storm ahead .

The first day of chemotherapy the first infusion did not begin on the best note. Doctors debating whether it was even worth starting the infusions. Did Bill understand the risk with his heart? The risk that he could suffer a pulmonary embolism from the infusions from the infusion procedures before he even makes it home today is a lot cope with before coffee!!

Bill has spent his whole life fighting whether it was hospitals, illness, accidents or disease. The man truly has more than nine lives. To say I’ve lost count of how many close calls would be an understatement yet somehow he has always fought his way through. Years in the hospital, years on crutches years out of school, years adapting to a new and different qualities of life. Yet somehow this one feels different.

For Bill and Samantha they are living in the moment from one moment to the next. To and from the cardiologist, to the oncologist, to the pulmonologist, and then the blood test all within the two week turnaround before the next infusion date. Facing daily struggles of fatigue, stress, what to eat what not to eat, sleeping at a certain angle to keep blood oxygen up, blood pressure keeping to the schedules when to take what pill. Samantha and Bill face these every day now. All while Samantha continues to work a full week schedule.

Family and friends continue to help with drop offs or pick ups with hour long FaceTime calls to keep him company during an infusion to check in two or three times an hour when Samantha is at work just to know that he’s still with us, still awake still taking care of himself. We’re all working together so that Bill and Samantha can move home to New Hampshire close to family as soon as possible.

Thoughts and prayers and your contributions cannot be underestimated. We need all three to help Bill and Samantha survive this battle. for any of you who have fought this battle or have a loved one who is fighting cancer share this with a friend because these fights are never won alone. These fights have a devastating effect on everyone every family member every friend. I want to express my sincerest gratitude for every whisper to an angel, for every whispered prayer and for every dollar contributed to help my brother fight this.

Chapter 1

”I don’t feel so good. I think you need to take me to the ER.”

William, known as Bill, has worked hard his whole life, mostly in the restaurant field, making a good life for his wife and boys. Since childhood, he has faced health challenges, including a severe form of polio that kept him in the children’s hospital for seven years. Despite these early struggles, Bill built a life filled with laughter, hard work, and generosity.

Just 10 days ago, Bill’s world changed dramatically. Severe abdominal pain sent him to the ER, and he was quickly moved to the OR and then the ICU/Cardiac unit. He has gone from working, laughing, and cooking at a job he loved to facing a fate that is uncertain. The hole in his heart is preventing proper blood and air flow, making his recovery even more challenging. We are ever so hopeful that, although time is never guaranteed, we can enjoy as much as we have left with him.

Anyone who has ever heard Bill’s laugh or had the pleasure of cooking with him—whether for a small group or a few hundred—knows how much he gives to others. He would do whatever he could if the situation were reversed. Now, as Bill’s illness has taken away more than half our family’s income, we find ourselves without the ability to survive on our own. Your support will help us cover medical bills and daily expenses, giving us hope and stability during this incredibly difficult time. Any help you can offer means the world to us.