Warrior Fund for Troy Dawkins

Thank you for visiting this fundraiser! I want you to know how much it means to my dad and our family. Please take the time to read dad's story and requests for his incredible mission to help encourage others who are facing the physical and emotional battle of cancer. 

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My name is Troy Dawkins. I am 56 years old and was diagnosed with aggressive prostate cancer in August 2021. Gleason 9 for those of you in the know. Notorious for recurring. I humbly ask for help with medical costs that keep growing, video and audio equipment, as well as some additional equipment for making a series of backpacking videos that will hopefully help and inspire others going through similar battles.

 

I have just begun working on doing videos of backpacking and preparing meals that fight cancer all the while doing it while out in woods. I have become very passionate about doing this because the effects of even just ADT are powerfully negative on the body as well as the mind. The fatigue alone is not something that can be adequately described with words. Cognitive functions for me have been adversely affected too. I can see how easily depression could overcome people going through this.

 

My hope is that these videos will help others going through similar circumstances as well as anyone in a battle realize they CAN do it. They CAN overcome! That somewhere inside them, there is still the strength to keep going and NOT GIVE UP! NO MATTER WHAT!

 

If you decide to contribute to my cause, thank you so much! If you do not, I ask you to keep us in your prayers and if you know anyone that is in a battle please feel free to ask us to keep them in our prayers. I know in my heart God is going to use my entire journey for good. Already, I have been told by people they are inspired just by me showing up for church when I don't even have energy to sing.

 

To those of you out there in this kind of battle or even a worse one, believe you can finish, believe you can take that next breath, push out the negative voices around you and most importantly inside your own head, and believe in the strength that is available to you from God and others around you. Lift up your face and sing your song as loudly as you can. It is a song that blesses others even if you can't see it. KEEP FIGHTING! NEVER GIVE UP!

 

Medical Update as of February 2022:

 

I had a radical prostatectomy in September which included lymph nodes and both nerve bundles that control cavernous blood flow. Post surgical pathology along with a decipher score of 1 required radiation along with concurrent androgen deprivation therapy. Radiation finished late January and plan is no more ADT so I am in the process of eating all plant based food except for Atlantic salmon. No red meat, dairy or sugars. Anything that can keep it from coming back I'm doing where possible. I realize some of that may sound technical but in simple terms, cancer steals and destroys. Waiting for ADT to wear off and hoping testosterone levels come back up while PSA levels are undetectable.