Support for Paul Marshall's Cancer recovery

Dear Friends,

Imagine having to not only adjust to the shocking news that you have stomach cancer, but also worry about how you will be able to survive financially after losing more than six months of work. For those of us who know and love Paul Marshall, taking away that second worry is well within our power. Let’s please chip in to give this beautiful human being the gift of merely having to focus his formidable positive energy on his health.

Paul is loved in many circles: Trinity Irish Dance, Milwaukee’s Irish Fest, his native friends through his work with Different Drums of Ireland, the international percussion community, and so much more.

In December of 2023, Trinity Irish Dance Company drummer and videographer, Paul Marshall was unexpectedly diagnosed with stomach cancer. The cancer is a T4 adenocarcinoma and appears localized to the upper area of the stomach,The working assumption is ‘Stage 3’ however a definitive staging will only be possible after surgery.

Paul is very grateful that he has a curative pathway because of early intervention. He is in good spirits and has been wrapped in support from friends around the world. Friends who now need to act.

Paul has completed keyhole staging surgery, 2 months of ‘Prehabilitation’ plus 8 weeks of FLOT chemotherapy which means now he is eating food he can’t taste (hypogeusia) using fingers he can’t feel (peripheral neuropathy) but he remains grateful that he has a great chance of survival.

Paul is a week away from a Total Gastrectomy (TG) procedure. TG is a major open chest surgery such as a heart or lung procedure. It will remove his stomach along with the cancer entirely and joins his esophagus to his small intestine directly. It is a life-changing procedure that should leave Paul cancer free and serve as a very welcome 60th birthday present.

After release from hospital assuming no complications, Paul has been told to expect a recuperation period of around 8-12 weeks and then a further 2 months of ‘mop up’ chemotherapy. This places him in treatment or recovery until near Halloween 2024, or beyond if there are complications.

As a sole trader, Paul cannot work and therefore cannot earn a living. In practical terms, the physical challenge of working through his condition in the autumn, followed by the whirlwind of activity, investigations and treatment in the months following diagnosis, have meant that Paul has been uniquely compromised in his ability to find, undertake and to execute acceptable, timely work. Since the end of the summer 23, Paul has found it difficult to operate his business and because he has not been able to earn as usual, he has had to rely increasingly on his pension savings pot to meet day to day living costs.

Overall Paul faces a very challenging 8 -12 months ahead as he steps into the unknown. In practical terms without additional funds, he cannot be forced back into working months sooner than medically advisable, simply in order to pay bills.

He finds himself facing a situation where he is compromised no matter which way he turns. Paul hopes to return to active, gainful work as soon as possible. He has a complex medical world to figure out imminently that totally redefines his relationship with food.

If you would like to support Paul with the equivalent of coffee, dinner or felt that you would be willing to extend a little beyond that, we would be really grateful for your support at this time.

Thank you Paul Marshall for all of the light you have brought into our lives and thank you to all of his amazing friends around the world for their wrap around support for Paul. He looks forward to a cancer free future and to having the opportunity to repay that coffee!

ONWARD!

Mark Howard

Founding Artistic Director

Trinity Irish Dance Company