The MEOS Project

In June of 2017, my Dad, Travis Callaway, was diagnosed with Stage 4 Squamous Cell Cancer of the Throat. It's aggressive, it's near the carotid artery, and is also inoperable. Initially he was started on chemotherapy, but the cancer continued to spread. After several months with no success, and the ill advice of one Doctor, We got a second opinion! The New Doctor put him on an Immunotherapy chemo, which had just been approved for his type of cancer. They also put him through a round of radiation to treat tumors that were pressing on his facial nerves, located on the base of his skull. The immunotherapy seemed to slow it down, so he has been doing the treatment ever since. He was able to work for a while, but eventually he began to have debilitating shoulder and arm pain, that ended up being another tumor in his C6, on his spine. In September of 2018, they did a major spinal surgery to remove the tumor and restructure the deterioration, which left him nearly bed ridden and in a neck brace for 2 months. He also went through another round of radiation on his neck and spine. His recovery from the surgery went well, however shortly after removing the neck brace, he began to have difficulty breathing through his nose and swallowing. After several weeks, it was found that the tumor in his throat had grown. Now the plan is to do radiation on the throat again, but because of the location, they may have to administer a tracheotomy to help with breathing during the treatment. At this point, my Dad has said that he is not done fighting! And neither are we! Unfortunately, he has not been able to work since August 2018. My Mother is the only one working right now, and tries to work as much as possible, but she is also the one taking him to his doctors appointments and treatments. They struggle to pay their bills, yet still do not ask for help! I will! Everyone is always asking if there is anything that they could do, well here it is! While money cannot buy happiness, or a cure, it can ease some of the stresses that they both have on a daily basis about paying their monthly bills. If you have ever been in this situation, or if you know my Mom and Dad, and have been the recipient of their kindness and love, then please help my parents out! We appreciate everything that has been done so far, and everyone who has been there for us through this rough time. My brother and I would also like to ask that you do not bombard my parents with questions and messages about not knowing, and why they didn't tell you...Please understand that they are going through a hard time right now and though your thoughts and well wishes are greatly appreciated, it would be best if they had some time to process things and get back to people when they can. But, please feel free to leave comments or messages for my parents on this site, and I will make sure that they recieve them! While my parents have not seen this, they are now aware of it. They were completely overwhelmed and so thankful that they have family and friends who love them and care for them and want to help out! If there are any questions/concerns, please message me directly on Facebook or instagram. Thank you for taking the time to read this.  -Kimberly Callaway and Travis Callaway III