Trenching for Travis

Almost 2 months ago my family learned that my brother has what we now know to be Stage 3A Non Small Squamous Cell Lung Cancer. In an instant I found my role as a sister under revision. I’ve always been able to call Travis for anything & at the drop of a hat he was there for me. I was the baby, the little sister, the one that needed him, he never needed me. He may still say he doesn’t “need” me but now he doesn’t have a choice. I refuse to let him go through ANY of this alone. In this family NO ONE fights alone! I’ve spent weeks thinking about the “purpose” of this post or what I was seeking to gain from it. What I’ve determined is I want to keep the people closest to us informed on treatment, progress etc. Calling and retelling all things to so many people is a bit draining, I’m not going to lie. What I want from the people who are my social media family is prayers. We all spend so much time scrolling through our timelines & while it’s been years since we’ve seen a lot of you in person, we know your spouses, we watch your kids grow up, we see your job promotions, we know your animals, we see the good & the bad & we find ourselves cheering you on from a distance whether you know it or not. Right now, and in the near future, we need those cheers more than ever. Starting July 20th, Travis will start 4 – 6 weeks of Radiation alongside Chemotherapy. The goal is to shrink the tumor enough for Travis to be a candidate for surgery. The surgery would entail either a sleeve resection or removal of the entire left lung. The positive news is the Doctors are confident that the treatment will result in all the cancer being able to be removed. The Doctors treatment will be very aggressive due to Travis being young and otherwise healthy. Travis has been anything short of grateful for all the support and guidance he’s received from our family, friends, doctors, nurses, social workers and financial counselors. I can’t thank everyone enough for their guidance, knowledge and overall support I’ve received from people in this field or the ones who have gone through this fight. I want to personally thank all my friends (you know who you are) who have listened to my fears, worries and for just being my overall strength. Travis you are our father’s child. You’re strong, determined, smart and a fighter! I have no doubt in my mind that you will beat this Cancers ass. You have so much love and support that will get you through this bump in the road. Travis, we love you #FuckCancer