Scott has stage 4 cancer and the doctors have very little hope. It has been a very long and hard journey. He has lots of medical bills and travel costs and living expenses. Lets support him with love and generosity. In times like these is when we get to show up.

Dec 3 is when Scott went to see the family doctor, he looked at his neck and there was a little lump and he didn’t seem to concerned but he said I want you to have an ultrasound and talk to a general surgeon. On Dec 16 Scott had the ultrasound, than just before Christmas he talk to the general surgeon who read the ultrasound.

She said it’s over my head and I think you should go see an ENT doctor who handles cases like this. We went to see the ENTJan 10th than he wanted a biopsy so two weeks later he had the biopsy. I made another appt with the ENT and he said that the growth was over his head due to the growth was wrapped around the jugular vein and around his vocal cords.

The ENT recommended go to another doctor but we found out this doctor didn’t do cases like Scott. I called Ann Arbor and talked to some of my friends and docs there and they recommended this surgeon that has a lot of experience with cases like Scott.

Around the 1st of February we went to see this surgeon. He read the ultrasound and biopsy and said we need more test. So Scott had a CT Neck and Ct Chest.

The medical bills already were well over $20000 .

The surgeon called us by video and said he wanted to schedule him for surgery by the end of February.

February 28 Scott was in surgery for nine hours. Finally when the surgeon came out after surgery he discussed everything he did, which we are very Thankful for him. He told me that he was in touch with the top oncologist and recommended him for Scott. He also said he got all the cancer he could get.

Later that week he called us and told us more biopsys came in and that Scott had 2 cancers, one was papillary and the other was Anaplastic Thyroid Cancer tall cell!

The new oncologist called us by video and said he wanted to put Scott on immunotherapy called Keytruda every 6 weeks with 3 courses. June 29th was his last one especially after the oncologist knew he could not stop this cancer.

We had been building a small retirement home in SC and even with Scott so sick we wanted to continue the build as it was closer to friends in Florida.

The doctors in Ann Arbor told Scott we will see you in late fall. 4 months without anything.

Scott had to take early retirement due to the cancer on May 2. With him not working and getting partial social security and no Medicare disability for 2 years, I had to find a private insurance for him. His work was gracious enough to keep us on there insurance which was only good for full coverage in Michigan but if you travel out of state it’s Cobra and they don’t cover much, but every little help’s especially with all the big billings coming in.

The surgery paying my copay was

$19,000.

Every doc and CT’s, PET scan, blood work was horrific.

Along with all that Scott needed to move his mom to a nursing home because she no longer would have Scott to come every-night and care for her. She really was sick just old and used a walker.

We moved her and then we had to get her condo ready to sell which we did so it would help to pay her bills. That was tougher on Scott than anything else. Scott and I tried to make sure his mom would adjust. She did and she is healthier there.

4 months without any treatments or meds so at that point I made an appointment in. SC with another oncologist and all he wanted to do is give him these $20000 pill insurance would not touch.

He said your cancer is the worst cancer a person could get along with the tall cell there is no slowing.

We at that point started doing more research and found another doctor that started his own clinic in this cancer in Florida but that was a nine hour drive. We decided to call and we talked to his assistant and he said he read his chart and he said he was to advanced for the doctor so they recommended Moffitt in Tampa.

We decided with all the bills to sell our house in SC and move near doctors and friends in Florida.

The Moffitt doctor was the best so far. As a doctor she has a huge beside manner and 40% of her patients see her for Anaplastic.

She started him with 2 chemos every day for a month along with infusions, every 2 weeks and twice the amount of radiation M-F. She said that we our hoping for a miracle. I told her about the financial and I cannot pay for all of it. She said there are grants he could get but they have been given out. The medical bills are so bad I cannot budget for food especially with his new insurance coming in..

Scott is a man that loves helping people. He has never missed a funeral where he worked 35 years plus. He donates to every organization in Grand Rapids many times, he does many food drives and he is a man that treats everyone the same and people he worked with will attest to it. We have moved 3 times to tackle this cancer and there’s no place I won’t go if God directs us.

Tomorrow we travel to Tampa for a CT than Tuesday we will talk to Dr Agostos. She has an experimental chemo to try but it still needs a prior off. I have also been in touch with old surgeon in Ann Arbor about trying to take one tumor away from carotid but he said he would need CT from tomorrow.

i want to take a moment and than you all for donating to the GoFundMe. Although we owe well over $100,000 the donations brought our spirits up so very much.it meant Scott could get back on his shakes ago.

so Thank you.

i will find out what doctors say and let you all know. We love you