Tony's 2nd Cancer Journey

Hi there- This is Tony Larrabee's sister-in-law, Terry Blaskowsky. As many of you know, Tony has been hit again with a cancer diagnosis. This is the return of his original cancer - with a vengeance. It is larger in the number of tumors present, involves attachment to organs, and requires an even more strenuous treatment protocol than chemo and radiation.

The positive note in this is that there is hope. There is a relatively new treatment called Car-T, and Tony has been deemed a candidate for this intensive two-month treatment. The short version of how this works is that T-Cells will be removed from his body, cleansed and fortified, and then reinserted. For two months he will need to live in a small apartment near Fred Hutchinson Cancer Institute in downtown Seattle. His immune system will be severely compromised, requiring him to be quarantined and have round-the-clock supervision and care. Car-T is a very successful but dangerous treatment process. The side effects are numerous and could be life-threatening, necessitating 24/7 care for two months.

For the past six weeks, Tony has had to endure more chemo, along with some collateral issues, to shrink the tumors before he could begin the Car-T treatments. The good news here is that the tumors have shrunk enough to move forward with Car-T.

Tony has continued to work (against his doctor’s recommendation) as he could, up until now. He has applied for assistance that, if accepted, will pay some of his medical bills. He has received a scholarship that will help cover transportation. This, however, won’t touch the expenses of food, the apartment, a part-time caregiver, and his ongoing monthly bills, which are a bare minimum. He spent the last eight months working hard to pay off the doctors and hospitals and zeroed out the credit cards he used to buy gas and food to be able to live. He pulled his boat out of the water to spare that expense. Tony doesn’t want to ask for financial help as he is very proud of how he makes his own way, but I’m not too proud to ask for any financial gift that you feel able to pass his way.

To be honest, though he puts on a brave face, this repeated diagnosis has been devastating for Tony. He enters this new phase with clear memories of what lies ahead - the excruciating pain and debilitating emotional and mental trauma from the last year - along with a warning from his doctor that this will be an even tougher journey. As we all know, Tony is a fighter and he has been given some hope that Car-T is his best chance at beating this cancer once and for all, and he’s taking that hope and running with it! It was your outpouring of love and emotional support that helped get Tony through all this last year, and he needs all of that love and support again. In typical Tony fashion, it's your notes, calls and kind words that touched him and mattered the most - and it is the same now.

Tony will still end this fight - and it will be successful - in unimaginable debt. He has no income source during this process. Any donation sent Tony’s way will help with his expenses while he is receiving cancer treatment. As we all agreed before, Tony is the first to step up and help his friends and neighbors, and he deeply values those relationships. Anything we can do for Tony now, in the fight of his life, will be deeply appreciated.

Thank you all for your friendship, support, and love for Tony. It means the world to him, and to those of us who love him dearly and want to see him win this fight!