Uncle Mike's treatment and rehabilitation

Hello, I'm Samm Worthing, and I'm raising funds to help my Uncle Mike and his family as they navigate treatment for his glioblastoma.

 

My Uncle Mike is the definition of a hard worker. For decades he made a living traveling across the country as a contractor. He turned blueprints and dreams into realities. For years, my Aunt Cathy and Uncle Mike shared a love that distance couldn't weaken. Together, they raised two loving, intelligent children, Christina and Amy.

 

 

 

 

 

He built up his own home for Cathy and their family between work trips. Many cousins have spent weeks in summer at "Camp Cathy's," and we all made the journey west for family pig roasts with the Pig Master!

 

 

As a kid, there were a few things I knew I could count on from Uncle Mike...

1. He was never sick.

2. He LOVED to make his family and friends laugh. Pranks, jokes, magic tricks and all!

3. He never turned down a request for help. He even remodeled our grandmother's home before she passed so that she could be there despite being wheel-chair bound at the end of her life.

 

 

Finally, Uncle Mike retired in 2018 and began exciting plans with his wife, children, and grandchildren to make up for the missed time. With his red Chevrolet road-ready, Cathy and Mike envisioned a summer of travel this year.

 

 

 

Then in early April, Uncle Mike woke up with slurred speech and weakness on the left side of his face that left him drooling slightly. Concerned but hopeful, he and Aunt Cathy went to the hospital to determine the cause. Had he had a stroke? Was it temporary Bell's Palsy? Blood clot? The options were endless, but if you know Uncle Mike, he was good-humored as he joked that he was merely drooling over his beautiful wife.

 

After scans, bloodwork, MRIs, and stressful hours of waiting for an answer, the doctor had news to deliver. A spot the size of a $0.50 piece showed up and led to much concern. On April 7th, Uncle Mike was diagnosed with glioblastoma, a rare and aggressive cancer. Only 3.21 out of every 100,000 people are diagnosed with this disease, with many people not surviving beyond two years after diagnosis.

 

What was next? Neither Uncle Mike nor Aunt Cathy is the type to wallow, so they set a treatment course after the Easter holiday.

 

On April 26th, he had surgery where the doctors successfully removed 95%-99% of the tumor. A success! But the surgery left him extremely, unexpectedly weak on the left side of his body. He went to a rehabilitation center to regain his strength and heal post-surgery. The next mile of the course was to prepare him for chemo and radiation treatments five days a week for six weeks.

 

 

However, complications mounted, and a month after surgery, Uncle Mike contracted a severe infection and kidney malfunctions. The journey continues... today he is still recovering from illnesses and set backs post-surgery. We remain hopeful that he will overcome these hurdles and enjoy more time with his family. 

 

Meanwhile, Aunt Cathy, a nurse by training, a loving wife and a mother by practice, has been by his side. Long trips between home and hospitals have put a costly burden on Cathy, Amy, Christina and family, who regularly visit Mike and encourage him to stay strong.

 

With the increasing costs of gas and the stress of caring for an ailing loved one, this family needs help. Please, if you are able, I ask you to donate whatever you can towards this fundraiser. This money will go directly to Aunt Cathy and their family for whatever expenses they accumulate.

This is already a difficult time, and wondering how they'll afford their next trip to see their husband/father/grandfather is an additional weight they should not have to bear.