Terry McNamara Beat Cancer Fund
Donation protected
Friends, family and teammates of Terry McNamara, Mac needs our help.
His full story is below but for those of you who already know what Terry's been going through, would like to help, and might not read to the end, please take a quick look at the last paragraph for some important information regarding Go Fund Me donations.
In July of last year Terry felt a lump on the left side of his neck, concerned, he went to have it checked out. His Doctor’s identified a swollen lymph node as the cause and the decision was made to conduct a biopsy which came back negative for cancer. Mac and his family had a few weeks of relief but unfortunately it didn’t last. The problem persisted and several doctors, many tests, medications and scopes later the decision was made to remove the lymph node in September of last year.
Terry underwent surgery to remove the lymph node at Yale New Haven Hospital. The surgery was expected to be routine based on the previous negative biopsy. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case. During the procedure, Mac’s surgeons decided to biopsy the entire lymph node and it was discovered that it was in fact a squamous cell carcinoma that had spread to the lymph node from another part of his body. The decision was then made to change course and to also remove (40) Lymph Nodes in Mac’s neck and both his tonsils.
What was supposed to be a simple outpatient surgery wound up being several days in the hospital and a determination that Terry had Stage 3 Oropharyngeal, squamous cell carcinoma. The cancer was in his left Tonsil and had metastasized to his lymph node. It was then decided that in addition to removal of the tumor Terry would need to undergo radiation treatment 5 days a week for 6 weeks at the Smillow Cancer Center at Yale New Haven hospital.
The treatment was very tough physically on Terry as he suffered severe burns to his mouth throat and neck making it nearly impossible to eat. The battle he has been fighting hasn’t just been physically tough though. It has taken a huge financial and emotional toll on he and his family as well. Terry was forced to take several months off from work and his wife Susan took time off as well to take care of him and their 9-year-old daughter Lily. This loss of income, combined with significant medical bills has been a tremendous burden on them.
I am starting this go fund me page for Terry in the hopes we can help ease some of the financial burden which has been placed on the McNamara family. Terry recently finished his Radiation treatments and everyone is hopeful the cancer has not spread. We will have a better indication in a month when Mac gets the first of what will be many PET scans over the next (2) years.
My goal is to help Terry and his family get as back to normal as they can, pay off medical bills and help with the anticipated medical expenses that will not be covered by insurance in the New Year. To that end I have set a Go Fund Me Goal of $10,000. Please help support Terry and his wonderful family.
If you decide to donate there are a few things I would like to explain about the process. First, 100% of your donation goes to Terry and his family. There is one step in the process which can be a bit confusing though. Below where you put in your donation amount there is a field for a "Tip" which is not related to Terry. This field will default to the inclusion of a 10% "Tip" to Go Fund Me to help support their web site. THIS IS NOT REQUIRED. It used to be but in 2017 Go Fund Me made this fee optional for personal campaigns like this one. If you would like to support Go Fund Me that's great, it's a wonderful service, but it's not required. Simply select "Other" in the field where the "tip" is suggested and a new box will appear where you can type in your own dollar amount. If you do not wish to "tip" Go Fund Me, just put $0.00 in that field. Last item, if you do not wish to have your name posted next to your donation you can check the box under where you type in your name. Hope that helps and Thank You for your support of the McNamara family!
His full story is below but for those of you who already know what Terry's been going through, would like to help, and might not read to the end, please take a quick look at the last paragraph for some important information regarding Go Fund Me donations.
In July of last year Terry felt a lump on the left side of his neck, concerned, he went to have it checked out. His Doctor’s identified a swollen lymph node as the cause and the decision was made to conduct a biopsy which came back negative for cancer. Mac and his family had a few weeks of relief but unfortunately it didn’t last. The problem persisted and several doctors, many tests, medications and scopes later the decision was made to remove the lymph node in September of last year.
Terry underwent surgery to remove the lymph node at Yale New Haven Hospital. The surgery was expected to be routine based on the previous negative biopsy. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case. During the procedure, Mac’s surgeons decided to biopsy the entire lymph node and it was discovered that it was in fact a squamous cell carcinoma that had spread to the lymph node from another part of his body. The decision was then made to change course and to also remove (40) Lymph Nodes in Mac’s neck and both his tonsils.
What was supposed to be a simple outpatient surgery wound up being several days in the hospital and a determination that Terry had Stage 3 Oropharyngeal, squamous cell carcinoma. The cancer was in his left Tonsil and had metastasized to his lymph node. It was then decided that in addition to removal of the tumor Terry would need to undergo radiation treatment 5 days a week for 6 weeks at the Smillow Cancer Center at Yale New Haven hospital.
The treatment was very tough physically on Terry as he suffered severe burns to his mouth throat and neck making it nearly impossible to eat. The battle he has been fighting hasn’t just been physically tough though. It has taken a huge financial and emotional toll on he and his family as well. Terry was forced to take several months off from work and his wife Susan took time off as well to take care of him and their 9-year-old daughter Lily. This loss of income, combined with significant medical bills has been a tremendous burden on them.
I am starting this go fund me page for Terry in the hopes we can help ease some of the financial burden which has been placed on the McNamara family. Terry recently finished his Radiation treatments and everyone is hopeful the cancer has not spread. We will have a better indication in a month when Mac gets the first of what will be many PET scans over the next (2) years.
My goal is to help Terry and his family get as back to normal as they can, pay off medical bills and help with the anticipated medical expenses that will not be covered by insurance in the New Year. To that end I have set a Go Fund Me Goal of $10,000. Please help support Terry and his wonderful family.
If you decide to donate there are a few things I would like to explain about the process. First, 100% of your donation goes to Terry and his family. There is one step in the process which can be a bit confusing though. Below where you put in your donation amount there is a field for a "Tip" which is not related to Terry. This field will default to the inclusion of a 10% "Tip" to Go Fund Me to help support their web site. THIS IS NOT REQUIRED. It used to be but in 2017 Go Fund Me made this fee optional for personal campaigns like this one. If you would like to support Go Fund Me that's great, it's a wonderful service, but it's not required. Simply select "Other" in the field where the "tip" is suggested and a new box will appear where you can type in your own dollar amount. If you do not wish to "tip" Go Fund Me, just put $0.00 in that field. Last item, if you do not wish to have your name posted next to your donation you can check the box under where you type in your name. Hope that helps and Thank You for your support of the McNamara family!
Organizer and beneficiary
Richard Houlihan
Organizer
North Kingstown, RI
Terrence McNamara
Beneficiary
