Support Michael Witcher's Fight Against Lymphoma

My father, Michael Witcher, my king, my only parent, the one I love the most on this planet, also known as Mustang Mike. He was going great at 53 years old, working at a body shop. He has been working on cars for over 30 years. One day he came home and was complaining his back was hurting randomly; it was a pain that wouldn’t go away. We went to a doctor to prescribe him pain meds. The medicine worked for the next week or two until the pain got so bad it led us to the hospital.

We arrived at Northside Hospital in Pinellas Park, FL. They performed a CT scan (CAT) and found what they said was a mass the size of a “pea” or a “marble.” Fast forward two weeks later, we went back for another CT scan. When they added contrast in his blood, they found a mass the size of a soccer ball. They diagnosed him with cancer. :/ At this time, we are trying to find a place that will help him. Northside Hospital recommended this center called “Moffitt Cancer Center,” supposedly the best place for any cancer treatment and where the help we needed was.

We went out to Moffitt for an appointment, and they saw him, took his vitals and height/weight, then sent us right out the door. My father is in pain and can’t bear it. From there, I brought him to St. Anthony’s Hospital back in St. Petersburg. They treated him and gave him blood transfusions to keep him alive due to his “soccer ball-sized mass” drinking all of his blood away. Two weeks later, my father had taken in at least 10 liters of blood, and we were wondering where it was going. That gave us a suspicion of internal bleeding.

We moved to Bayfront Hospital after hearing they have better help and can point us in the right direction. It turns out the mass has been drinking all of the blood he has been receiving through all of the blood transfusions. A few days later, we were sent back to Moffitt Cancer Center, where my dad was laid in a bed for over a month, closer to 50 days, where he has gotten very weak not only from chemotherapy but also radiation and medication, causing him to not be able to walk nor barely stand up on his own. The cancer has moved up to his neck and is spreading around his body. We found out he has kidney cancer, lung cancer, lymph node cancer, liver cancer, and now some of the cancer has spread to his esophagus. He had two bone marrow biopsies and a spinal biopsy for testing. After 2-3 chemotherapy treatments, he began to perform a little bit better and gained his voice back so he can speak again. He has been moved to a rehabilitation center in Safety Harbor. He is now learning how to walk, stand up, and gain strength back as we speak day by day. He will continue to accept his chemotherapy as he is slowly losing his hair and is fighting cancer as a new cancer patient.

Later on during our battle, we found out this cancer he is diagnosed with is “Lymphoma.” He is in a lot of pain and mentally unstable currently as he is going through this battle, only to think just a few months ago he was perfectly fine working and living his normal life. We’ve decided to create this GoFundMe to receive the help that he needs throughout his journey. He gained his appetite back and now is eating normally on a normal diet after being on a clear liquid diet for 40 days straight. Every time we visit, we bring him a meal of his choice for him to enjoy while seeing his loved ones during his time at the rehabilitation center. Any help would be highly appreciated to benefit Michael Witcher during his cancer journey. Please keep Michael in your prayers for a peaceful and healthy return in beating this cancer and living his life once the cancer is clear. I want to thank everyone for their help, love, and support during his journey fighting off this cancer (Lymphoma).