Some of you already know but for those of you who don’t, we thought writing this would be the easiest way to keep our family, friends and colleagues in the loop and updated as we go along with Kris.

Kris Marcantel (my brother) was rushed to the ER because he was coughing up blood about two months ago. This was an ordinary day which became a nightmare he has yet to wake up from. The doctor’s at Tomball discovered a mass on his neck and told him to follow up an oncologist. He ended up being released and the next day he ended up at St Luke’s in Vintage only to be transported by ambulance downtown because of the blood loss and severity of the situation.

On May 5th he was officially diagnosed with Stage 3 (T4N2B) throat cancer and it is in his lymph nodes. Squamous cell carcinoma.

The words of CANCER is something no one wants to hear. We all prayed for a surgery as a fix but because of the location they insisted that radiation and chemotherapy is the route he has to go.

Nothing is ever easy and lately everything seems to be a challenge as the days slowly go by.

Kris has a wonderful team of professionals, oncologists and doctors downtown at the medical center. Being stage 3 they are determined to act with an aggressive plan.

His given plan was 7 weeks of radiation and chemotherapy. Monday- Friday he goes downtown for radiation and on Wednesday’s he takes on both radiation and chemo. (33 days of radiation and 6 rounds of chemo).

As I’m writing this blog, he’s already 3 weeks in (June 25th was his start date) in but now has so much difficulty with swallowing, he’s weak, physically and mentally drained and constant nausea has set in 24/7.

Two days after his first chemo treatment is when the nausea set it. It would last for days and just as he started to cope with it, he was in for another round of chemo. His comments were, “everything tastes like grease”, “it feels like I’m swallowing razor blades” and as you know Kris, other comments he mentioned I dare to not share. :) He has lost 40 lbs from not eating. What the doctors call mucositis has set in and he can’t swallow anything not even an ice chip. July 4th was his last day of a somewhat decent meal and hydration. We all know Kris is a foody and would rather have a plate of potatoes and corn than a bowl of ice cream. This has been a struggle.

A few days ago they put in a PEG tube in his stomach to help with feeding, hydration and medications. Unfortunately, he had to go back two days later with intense pain because the original tube was too small and the balloon that kept it in place deflated. As of Friday July 18th, he had the same surgery, a different insertion for a larger feeding tube.

We are all counting down the days. His last chemo treatment will be on July 30th and his last radiation treatment will be on Aug 12.

Everyone has asked, why didn’t we let them know sooner? It’s not that we were hiding it, Kris didn’t want anyone worrying about his problems or anyone feeling sorry for him. He’s one of the selfless people I know. Kris is a fighter. He is strong and determined to fight this battle with every ounce he has. Some days are harder and more challenging that others. We must keep the faith and keep pushing him. The Lord has given him so much to live for and so much to fight for. Chasity and my Mom have been with Kris everyday and are by his side, in and out every appointment and hospital visits with him daily.

He is truly blessed with a strong supportive close circle of family and friends. We believe in the power of prayer and that our God is a healing God.

If you are reading this, we need your prayers! We ask that you please keep Kris and his family in your prayers. Your encouragement and supportive comments left here will be read to him daily.

Jeremiah 17:14: "Heal me, Lord, and I will be healed; save me and I will be saved, for you are the one I praise."

#KrisKicksCancer