Support John Dees' Battle Against Rare Cancer

Hello, my name is Mary. As some of you may already know, my family and I have just been hit with devastating news. In a matter of a few weeks, my brother John Dees went from no more cancer to diagnosed with Stage 4 Invasive mucinous adenocarcinoma with pancreatic involvement. This is terminal, so that means there is no cure. He has some options that come from mostly a comfort aspect. His subtype of non-small lung cancer is extremely rare. Without treatment, he has maybe 6 months. With treatment, he may have 6 months to a year, maybe even 2 if it slows/shrinks the progression enough. The oncologist says he’s in the driver seat, so if he wants to start chemo, he can; if not, she supports him. He wants to try the chemo again to slow the progression and get it under control to give him more time, then go from there. It is the same chemo he was on prior, so she’s hopeful that the side effects will be similar to previous. (The previous chemo did do its job, but the immune therapy after chemo did not.) Oncology will be taking over his pain management as well, so it’s all centralized and less of a hassle since it is also in his bones now. He met with her colleague to do a nerve block behind the pancreas so that the pain he’s having can hopefully settle down the angry pancreas. Most of his treatment will be comfort measures and giving him the best quality for the most amount of time.

My brother John has always been a hard worker and always served as a protector of his family. He is a subcontractor, so he will not be able to leave his family (particularly his wife, Maggie) with much. As his sister, I feel helpless in this situation. Knowing my brother, he will be aggravated with me for even asking for help from anyone, but one thing I feel like I can help with is asking his friends and family to donate what they can. It would be used for bills or maybe even a trip with his family to make even more cherished memories.

We thank you so very much for anything you're able to contribute and most importantly, your prayers.