Time-Sensitive Aid Needed for The Elbag Family

Hey, folks! My name is Christa, and I'm seeking time-sensitive aid for my very dear friends, Don and Lisa Elbag!

For a little context, my husband Mark and I met the Elbags when they moved in next door to us.

Don fought renal cell carcinoma in the fall of 2022, removing a football-size tumor and his left kidney. Unfortunately, here in the present, cancer is rearing its ugly head, again. They have found nodules in Don's lungs. Some were removed for biopsy and in a recent conversation, Lisa shared that ‘the pathology indicates lung cancer. So, the nodules in the right lung will also need to be removed in the not-so-distant future.’

The costs of doctor's appointments and surgeries, those of the past and surely more to come, as well as gas and parking expenses related to them, are really adding up. With their permission for full transparency, I’ll add that this has added up even faster, living off one social security check. Their retirement savings have already been entirely depleted.

Their situation is multi-faceted. Lisa has had debilitating health issues for years, and some of them are not covered by insurance, so the treatments and medicines are completely out of pocket. She has stopped treatment for over a year now because the other expenses are taking priority, but not treating is also taking its toll on Lisa's health.

Simply, the goal is to amplify our efforts to ‘Love thy neighbor’ by reaching more people, you, through this platform.

For the speed-read skimmers and 'get to the point' folks, we are calling on you to please help us give aid to the Elbags, in any amount you are comfortable with. Mark and I would be extremely grateful, and in turn, so would our dear friends.

Another way to help, just as impactful, is if you can please take a moment to share this on Facebook and your social media platforms. Statistically speaking, this is the single most significant way to positively impact the amount of aid they might receive. Thank you for donating and/or sharing!

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As mentioned, there are many layers to Don and Lisa's journey.

Please read on for more details of our friendship with them and how easy it has been to show these two wonderful people our unending support.

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When they moved in next door to us, neighborly hellos soon turned into long talks in the driveway, then coffee on the porch, then ongoing great conversation whenever the opportunity came up. Lisa has the greenest thumb I have ever seen, and Don is the most talented woodworker he would not ever admit to being. We were given garden goodies often, and Don helped any time he saw us struggling with a home repair. I love to bake, and Mark makes a mean brisket. We all gladly shared the fruits of our talents. As we got to know one another even more, we all found similar senses of humor, which can also be the tie that binds. From ridiculous dogs to Texas weather forecasts blown by a lot, there were always boundless topics of humor.

I learned quickly that they both liked being the ones who help others and quite frankly, not the best at being the ones who are helped. Shortly after they moved in next door, my 91-year-old mother-in-law moved in with our family. We soon realized she had to have a ramp to get in and out of the house. We were already scrambling with the pandemic pricing of lumber, but this had to happen, and fast. Don jumped in and built this ramp in less than forty-eight hours, with the precision of a master architect, too!

When they moved away just two years later, I thought we might drift apart, but the miles between us didn't change our friendship. Neighbors became friends for a lifetime. We may talk more often now than when we lived next door to each other. If you know this kind of friendship, you know how precious that is to have in this world.

So back in July of 2022, Lisa took Don to the emergency room for suspected kidney stones. They do run in his family, though it would've been a first for him. This is when the attending ER doctor broke the news after the scan. There were no kidney stones, but rather, a grapefruit-sized cancerous tumor.

Immediate shock changed abruptly into busy phones, doctor appointments, labs, consultations with specialists, and countless trips back to the emergency room for horrific pain and sleepless nights. They found a surgeon in Albany that specializes in this type of cancer. She was tasked with removing what needed to go, then to biopsy and from there form a treatment plan based on those findings. She ultimately extracted the tumor, his left kidney, as well as over a dozen surrounding lymph nodes, during this surgery. More shocking, the tumor* was not the size of a grapefruit, but that of a football

Don and Lisa did say there was a semi-comfortable degree of satisfaction that she got all cancer by removing the left kidney and the tumor. Yet, due to the aggressive nature of renal cell carcinoma, the possibility of it returning to other areas or coming to claim the remaining kidney is a constant fear.

Fast forward, Don went in for follow-up scans after recovering from the kidney and tumor removal, and it was revealed that there were several nodules in his lungs. The advising cardiothoracic surgeon insisted he see his cardiologist first, to get clearance for the surgery to remove these nodules. Don followed this advice and the cardiologist he then consulted with said, "I will give clearance because this is a fire that needs to be put out first, but we are making an appointment now for you to return to follow up on your heart condition as your aortic valve will need attention next."

They then surgically removed one of the nodules, several surrounding lymph nodes, and a fairly large portion of his lung, just shy of a lobectomy.

The biopsy from this surgery confirmed Don has lung cancer.

It is unquestionable that Don’s medical and associated expenses are added to daily and will continue to grow from here. But people, friends, family, acquaintances, strangers, all of us, each of us, can be the auxiliary support. I can't help but think it would be much easier for him to fight, to focus on healing, and for Lisa to be fully present by his side if the financial burden wasn’t weighing so heavily on them both.

Many hands, with each helping a little, can do so much. Friends, family, acquaintances, and strangers, please help by sending time-sensitive aid to the Elbags. Again, if you are so moved, please also share on Facebook and your social media platforms. Sharing the link takes just seconds and will immeasurably amplify this opportunity to ‘Love thy neighbor.’

EDUCATIONAL LINKS

Renal Cell Carcinoma

Lung Cancer