- K
- J
- T
In January of last year, Keith brought down from the rafters a canoe that had been stored for several years. A family member had brought it by to be worked on when Keith had time. The waiting line for boats to get into the shop had faded.
For weeks, Keith stayed bent over that boat. By spring he'd worked up quite a backache, attributing it to "restoration posture". I watched a limp develop over the summer.
By the time I took a seasonal layoff in October, he couldn't even walk. The hip X-ray revealed some degeneration of the joint. Off to the orthopaedic surgeon, who noticed something just off the initial x-ray that looked suspicious...better get more x-rays. And an MRI. And a CT scan. Bone scan, biopsy, bloodwork, brain scan, and there. Inside out. It's all been revealed.
We would never have known that Keith had lung cancer had there not been bone pain. Apparently Stage 4 cancer is when the disease begins in one part of the body and travels to another. Lung cancer to bone cancer. This is what it is. There is no cure. Surgery is not an option.
They say, at this point, our jobs are to make him as comfortable as possible. This is not his only need, however, and this is where my limitations arise.
Because there haven't been as many boats in the shop as there once were and because of Keith's current physical limitations, our safety net has been depleted.
I've never known Keith to ask for anything of substance. Maybe a hand with the usual things men ask other men to assist with. Nothing, really. It's not his nature.
He has completed 10 radiation sessions on his pelvis to reduce the tumor, which will hopefully reduce the pain. One chemotherapy session under his belt with 5 more to go. It will take 6 months all in. Quality of life, they say.
Your donation will not only assist in the banal expenses of daily life, but will also help with the new, unexpected necessities of traversing this unbelieveable challenge to his well-being.
All donations will be used for this purpose alone, and every single transaction means everything.
Thank you for your gifts of time and support.
Time is of the essence.
For weeks, Keith stayed bent over that boat. By spring he'd worked up quite a backache, attributing it to "restoration posture". I watched a limp develop over the summer.
By the time I took a seasonal layoff in October, he couldn't even walk. The hip X-ray revealed some degeneration of the joint. Off to the orthopaedic surgeon, who noticed something just off the initial x-ray that looked suspicious...better get more x-rays. And an MRI. And a CT scan. Bone scan, biopsy, bloodwork, brain scan, and there. Inside out. It's all been revealed.
We would never have known that Keith had lung cancer had there not been bone pain. Apparently Stage 4 cancer is when the disease begins in one part of the body and travels to another. Lung cancer to bone cancer. This is what it is. There is no cure. Surgery is not an option.
They say, at this point, our jobs are to make him as comfortable as possible. This is not his only need, however, and this is where my limitations arise.
Because there haven't been as many boats in the shop as there once were and because of Keith's current physical limitations, our safety net has been depleted.
I've never known Keith to ask for anything of substance. Maybe a hand with the usual things men ask other men to assist with. Nothing, really. It's not his nature.
He has completed 10 radiation sessions on his pelvis to reduce the tumor, which will hopefully reduce the pain. One chemotherapy session under his belt with 5 more to go. It will take 6 months all in. Quality of life, they say.
Your donation will not only assist in the banal expenses of daily life, but will also help with the new, unexpected necessities of traversing this unbelieveable challenge to his well-being.
All donations will be used for this purpose alone, and every single transaction means everything.
Thank you for your gifts of time and support.
Time is of the essence.
Organizer and beneficiary
Keith Strouse
Beneficiary