Support James' Journey Through Cancer

Friends, this fundraiser is to help the Painter family while James seeks treatment. He is currently off work, and the financial strain of lost income combined with medical costs will be heavy. Here’s James' story…

I was diagnosed with thyroid cancer a couple of months ago. The tumor on my thyroid is quite large and is partially blocking my airway. It has also spread to the back of my shoulder. It is about the size of a baseball on my shoulder. They also saw a small growth in my right lung and one in my airway. I’ll be headed to UNMC in a couple of weeks to have the thyroid removed. They have a thoracic surgeon on standby because it goes pretty far down. They might have to open up my chest. The mass on my shoulder will be removed the same day. We are going to worry about the others after this is taken care of. There will be some sort of treatment after all this is done, just not sure what kind as of now. Chemo, radioactive iodine, radiation, and some kind of gene therapy were mentioned.

I worked until Tuesday, lost my breath, and almost called the ambulance en route. It straightened out some, and I was able to finish my day. I’m off now, probably until mid-September. 53 years old and this is my first surgery, and it’s a doozy.

We are asking for prayers, good thoughts, and any help you can give. Whether through a donation, sharing this page, or simply sending love, every bit of support means more than we can say as we prepare for the fight ahead.

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.