Stage 3 Lung Cancer Treatment
Donation protected
It has been almost two months since our family received the news that would cause us to create this fundraiser today: our father, Michael Krajewski, was diagnosed with Stage 3 Small Cell Carcinoma (lung cancer). As families do, we have always put our resources together in time of need and kept our heads above water, but unfortunately we can no longer tread water alone.
Small Cell Carcinoma is a very fast-growing type of cancer, and because of this the treatment is equally aggressive. Michael is now in the process of a treatment plan in hopes of ridding his lung and lymph nodes of this unforgiving disease. This includes chemotherapy for 3 days in a row every 3 weeks, and radiation therapy 5 days a week every single week, for the next 3 months. Of course we knew that this was going to be an uphill battle, but nothing can quite prepare someone for the tremendous toll chemo and radiation can have on one’s body and mind. In fact as we are writing this, Michael has now been in the hospital for the past 3 days on a constant IV hydration drip due to failing kidneys from chemotherapy.
For those of you who know him, Michael has been no stranger to health problems since 2004, when he had his first major heart attack. Since then, he has had to leave work and resort to collecting a monthly disability check. For someone that has always proudly provided for his family, this was devastating. Despite this, we have always done what families do and worked together to overcome any financial obstacles in our life. Our mother, who had continued to work for the state for many years, retired less than a year ago to enjoy a simple life at home with her husband. As you know, things do not always go as planned, and she is now working again part-time to make ends meet.
With only one car between our parents, Monday through Friday Mom goes to work in the morning then picks Dad up at home in the afternoon to go to chemo/radiation then home again, making each day a 70 mile commute. The house that our parents have lived in for so many years is slowly falling apart. The lawn tractor has been broken down and the grass is now over 2 feet high. Copays, gas, prescription meds, diabetic supplies, and food have been the only priorities as of late. Our tight-knit family has given all we can, including money, manual labor, and rides to numerous doctor visits a week, but we have now run out of any safety net we had, and bills are piling up fast. Our father, who once had the strength and will to do whatever he set his mind to, has been reduced to mostly sitting, laying down, and sleeping whenever he can.
Anyone that has met Michael knows he has a heart of gold. If anyone needs anything and asks for help, he’ll be there in a second, all while asking nothing in return. That’s what you do when you care about someone, and our dad cares about everyone. This is something our dad has instilled in us, and we want to show him how much everyone cares about him. We love our father and want to help the person that has always been there for us every step of our lives. We are humbly asking for your help to ease the suffering that cancer brings to a family.
Donations to this cause will help our parents over the next 3-4 months with:
- Chemo/radiation treatments
- Medical/diabetic supplies & prescription meds
- Gas to commute to and from appointments
- Copays for all doctor appointments (oncology, cardiac, primary, etc.)
- Living expenses (mortgage, groceries, car payment, etc.)
- Home repairs/maintenance
We are forever positive and keeping our heads held high. Working together, we know we can accomplish anything in our way. If you cannot help with our cause financially, don’t worry, you can help by sharing this on Facebook and passing it along to your friends and family. We can get through anything together!
With Love,
Joshua & Jeremy Krajewski
Small Cell Carcinoma is a very fast-growing type of cancer, and because of this the treatment is equally aggressive. Michael is now in the process of a treatment plan in hopes of ridding his lung and lymph nodes of this unforgiving disease. This includes chemotherapy for 3 days in a row every 3 weeks, and radiation therapy 5 days a week every single week, for the next 3 months. Of course we knew that this was going to be an uphill battle, but nothing can quite prepare someone for the tremendous toll chemo and radiation can have on one’s body and mind. In fact as we are writing this, Michael has now been in the hospital for the past 3 days on a constant IV hydration drip due to failing kidneys from chemotherapy.
For those of you who know him, Michael has been no stranger to health problems since 2004, when he had his first major heart attack. Since then, he has had to leave work and resort to collecting a monthly disability check. For someone that has always proudly provided for his family, this was devastating. Despite this, we have always done what families do and worked together to overcome any financial obstacles in our life. Our mother, who had continued to work for the state for many years, retired less than a year ago to enjoy a simple life at home with her husband. As you know, things do not always go as planned, and she is now working again part-time to make ends meet.
With only one car between our parents, Monday through Friday Mom goes to work in the morning then picks Dad up at home in the afternoon to go to chemo/radiation then home again, making each day a 70 mile commute. The house that our parents have lived in for so many years is slowly falling apart. The lawn tractor has been broken down and the grass is now over 2 feet high. Copays, gas, prescription meds, diabetic supplies, and food have been the only priorities as of late. Our tight-knit family has given all we can, including money, manual labor, and rides to numerous doctor visits a week, but we have now run out of any safety net we had, and bills are piling up fast. Our father, who once had the strength and will to do whatever he set his mind to, has been reduced to mostly sitting, laying down, and sleeping whenever he can.
Anyone that has met Michael knows he has a heart of gold. If anyone needs anything and asks for help, he’ll be there in a second, all while asking nothing in return. That’s what you do when you care about someone, and our dad cares about everyone. This is something our dad has instilled in us, and we want to show him how much everyone cares about him. We love our father and want to help the person that has always been there for us every step of our lives. We are humbly asking for your help to ease the suffering that cancer brings to a family.
Donations to this cause will help our parents over the next 3-4 months with:
- Chemo/radiation treatments
- Medical/diabetic supplies & prescription meds
- Gas to commute to and from appointments
- Copays for all doctor appointments (oncology, cardiac, primary, etc.)
- Living expenses (mortgage, groceries, car payment, etc.)
- Home repairs/maintenance
We are forever positive and keeping our heads held high. Working together, we know we can accomplish anything in our way. If you cannot help with our cause financially, don’t worry, you can help by sharing this on Facebook and passing it along to your friends and family. We can get through anything together!
With Love,
Joshua & Jeremy Krajewski
Organizer and beneficiary
Joshua Krajewski
Organizer
Albany, NY
Jeremy Krajewski
Beneficiary