A simple visit to the doctor...or so we thought.
On December 2nd, 2015, Kevin went in for a check up on a sore throat he had been having.  There was also a small lump on his jawline that he thought was concerning and wanted to get checked out.  After his appointment, there was nothing found.  The next visit was to a ENT Specialist and still no answers. They were puzzled they couldn't find anything wrong so they did an X-ray. It was then that they found an abnormal mass on the side of Kevin's throat that "looked cancerous".  After a  biopsy, a PET scan, and countless trips to different doctors and clinics, it was confirmed, Kevin had Stage 4 tonsil cancer.  The week of Christmas, he had 2 of his lymph nodes in his neck  removed.  And that was when we found out there was cancer in the lymph nodes. Next step was to find out where the cancer came from, the ENT Specialist thought it might of been from the tonsils. Less than 3 weeks later, he had his tonsils removed.  The specialist determined that the cancer started in his tonsils and went through to the muscles in his neck.  He would need to start Radiation therapy on his neck and also have to start Chemotherapy.  So he had to have another surgery to have an access port put in his chest for the chemo, and a feeding tube in his stomach. (This was his  4th surgery in less than 6 weeks).   Radiation was 5 days a week, for 7 weeks, for a total of  35 daily treatments. He was also doing  chemotherapy treatments every 21 days.  Several days after the first chemo treatment, he ended up in the hospital due to the intense pain in his throat.  He was also dehydrated from the frequent vomiting.  Kevin ended up getting thrush in his mouth and had to be put on an antibiotic.  With a  feeding tube in and addition to radiation and chemo, he also had to do hydration therapy 2-3 times per week to keep his strength up, replenish fluids throughtout his body and to prevent dehydration.  Weekly bloodwork was done to ensure his levels were high enough to complete his treatment. So not only was he dealing with the stress of the treatments, but also the financial stress of having to pay balances due after insurance, copays, prescriptions, plus the gas expenses from driving from one doctor to the next. It sure drained the saving quickly.  During those long weeks, Kevin continued to struggle through work and daily life.  On March 7th, 2016, he had to stop work because of the pain from the treatments and the inability to focus.  Kevin also had to stop driving because of the constant dozing off and weakness. Kevin would keep himself busy to help the time go by, but somedays it was hard as he wasn't feeling good.  He finished radiation at the end of March, but would still have the effects of being tired and weak for 2-3 weeks after.  His mouth and throat have been really sore, and he still is not able to eat anything by mouth.  His main source of food is through the feeding tube, which can be a challenge when he feels nauseated from his chemo treatments.   And with him not eating very much, he has lost around 50lbs. since December 2015.  Because of the weight loss, he has to do intravenous feeding, liquid feeding straight into his veins, to ensure he is getting proper nutrition and calories. He has started his 2nd round of chemo, which he is hooked up to a take-home pump for 4 days.  He feels the effects of this for 2 weeks.   He has gotten thrush again and now his chemo treatments are on hold until his thrush is cleared up.  He has been told he will still be out of work for at least the next 2 months.  There is more stress on him, and his family, as he is dealing with thrush again and the fact of having to miss more work and having no income .  Kevin and his family are trying to keep positive through all of this, which  can be extremely hard.  With the love and support of family, friends and co-workers, it is helping them get through this difficult time.  It would mean a lot to all of us if anyone could help relieve some of the stress of Kevin not being able to work.  And we would be very thankful to anyone and everyone who reads his story.  Thank you!