Support Kris' 5 Year End-Stage Cancer Battle

Kris Kuntz was diagnosed with stage IVb esophageal cancer in October of 2018 caused by progression of Barrett's Esophagus (resulting from long-term GERD). This is the final stage with only < 5% surviving for more than 5 years. He has reached a critical point in his fight against cancer and recently received news that the cancer has spread to his brain. Kris is 47, married to his wife Katy of 20 years, and is a loving father to a 19yo son and 8 yo daughter. His dad passed away at the age of 52 after a years-long kidney cancer battle.

Kris initially received chemoradiation and had an esophagectomy in early 2019, after which he was in/out of the hospital and in long-term care for over a month after surgery due to complications. They removed his esophagus, along with a portion of the upper part of his stomach and numerous nearby lymph nodes and his stomach was relocated. The recovery was incredibly difficult with two significant infections, including a bedside reopening of the surgery wound, blood clots and other issues with feeding tubes that came in/out and he was unable to eat real food or drink anything for over a month.

He continued on chemotherapy for 2 years with a brief reprieve late 2019/early 2020 when his scans showed he was cancer free. Between the surgery and chemo, he was out on disability leave several times throughout this timeframe. He got somewhat of another reprieve for about 2.5 years when the cancer was still present but was managed by immunotherapy only, though the immunotherapy had long term effects as well. In early 2022 the cancer spread to his lungs after his hand surgeon (surgery due to nerve damage from chemo) prescribed him 2 months worth of steroids that rendered immunotherapy useless during that time.

Earlier this year he started feeling worse and struggling to breathe. This coincided with his oncologist leaving the practice and being under a non-compete. In the words of his current oncologist, his care was neglected and the cancer spread rapidly. An amazing family member connected us with the new oncologist which has been a game-changer.

The aggressive tumor growth spread to his lungs, encompassing 3/4 of one lung, and full or near full obstructions in the pulmonary artery and airway. From May to early July, he was experiencing significant breathing issues and finally received a bronchoscopy to remove tumorous material in his airway and place a stent to open it up. The airway was completely obstructed, and the majority of his left lung is collapsed from the large mass.

Kris and Katy visited MD Anderson and met with the head of gastro, who concurred with the regimen recommendation of his current oncologist which targets genetic markers found in his tumor that are usually found in breast cancer. This treatment is not curative but hopefully is the first step. Ideally this regimen shrinks the tumors enough to try a clinical trial at the National Cancer Institute (NCI), which is a combination of two immunotherapies and an infusion of a personalized vaccine made from Kris' tumor cells. The NCI treatment would be free, but there would be other travel related expenses.

In August of 2023, after the first two rounds of the new regimen, Kris found out the cancer spread to his brain. His oncologist said she still feels he is on the best course of treatment. The chemo does penetrate the brain...and this is speculation until the scans show results...she thinks it is possible that due to the location and smaller size of this mass, it is possible the tumor could have been there on his last brain MRI in June and has shrunk with the treatment. This is supported by the fact that he was having bad headaches that subsided after treatment started.

Kris has not been able to return to work since his biopsy at the end of May and is awaiting a decision from social security disability. To paint a picture of how much this recent spread has impacted him, he has lost 60 lbs so far this year. This is cachexia, or wasting syndrome, which is progressive skeletal muscle loss and fat loss that leads to various functional disorders.

Katy has taken 5.5 weeks of unpaid FMLA and will likely take the remaining 6.5 weeks over the next year. After 5 years of depleted income from disability leave and medical expenses, including 2 insurance changes in 2022 that caused the Kuntz family to meet deductibles in 3 different plans in one year, the financial burden is impacting the family.

They have received an incredible amount of support from friends and family with meals, sitter, house cleaning, and yard work and are immensely grateful for all of the support and for the prayers and good thoughts.

The Kuntz family could use your help with medical bills and to compensate for the lost income and for the following expenses:

Fixing things around the house that Kris used to be able to fix himself;

Having their pup trained as a service dog for their autistic daughter with anxiety; and

Travel expenses for out of state treatment and bucket list road trip travel.

When the news of the recent spread hit, the one thing that gave Kris something to look forward to was the idea of being able to travel since he is no longer able to work and Katy telecommutes. With treatments every 3 weeks and Kris being bedridden about 2 of every 3 weeks, this was starting to seem impossible to fulfill. The family is now working with the oncologist to arrange for treatment and other cancer care while on the road. The Kuntz family loves to travel in their RV; it's like a second home and a familiar space for their daughter. Traveling to national parks is one of Kris' long-time passions, fostered during amazing road trips in his childhood. This journey will ease some of the emotional and physical struggles he is enduring and allow for memory-making with his wife, 2 children, and his mom. On the days after treatment recovery when exploring isn't feasible, he can gaze upon the mountains from their campsite. Kris' oncologist very much supports his personal last wishes and notion of a meaningful life as a significant part of his palliative care.