Worlds best brother

Summary: My brother, Steve, has an incurable cancer. We have tried to manage the ever compounding bills within our small family circle but it is overwhelming. Humbly, we must reach out to our extended family and friends for help. I’m creating a challenge to raise $25k via the GoFundMe page. If 2500 people give $10, the money raised will be used to pay Steve’s on going expenses and ease his fear of leaving his family in debt. Please share this request far and wide, 2,500 people offering $10+ each will make a huge impact. We are grateful for whatever you can contribute. Prayers and good thoughts are always welcome.

My story: Steve, my one and only brother, has an incurable cancer. It is a neuro-endocrine cancer of the esophagus. The cancer is rare, aggressive, and stage IV. His treatments are palliative which means they help with symptoms but are not a cure. It was devastating and unbelievable news. We were quiet about it at first, to allow us time to adjust to the new normal. Steve has been through a lot in the past year, coming to terms with his diagnosis and enduring treatments. He went through chemotherapy, but it was immunotherapy that bought him more time.

Unfortunately, immunotherapy is expensive. Steve receives a combination of drugs at cost of about $40k per month. Insurance pays for 80 percent but the other 20 percent is not in the retirement plan. Steve has always worried about money but this situation has stressed him to the max. His biggest fear is leaving debt for his family to pay. Steve is so concerned about his finances; he is unable to enjoy the time he has left. We have tried to manage finances within our small family circle but it is overwhelming. Humbly, we must reach out to our extended family and friends for help.

Steve does not want to be a burden to anyone. So, I’m creating a challenge to raise $25k via the GoFundMe page. If 2500 people give $10, the money raised will be used to pay Steve’s on going expenses and ease his fear of leaving his family in debt.

To all that have read this far, please know that I’m grateful for whatever you can contribute. Please share this request far and wide, 2,500 people offering $10+ each will make a huge impact. Prayers and good thoughts are always welcomed.

More about Steve: Steve has been married over 50 years to the same woman. He was smitten when he met her and is smitten with her to this day. You can see it when he looks at her. They have one adult daughter.

More about Steve's cancer: Steve had hiccups for a couple of days and his primary care doctor thought it might be air trapped in his diaphragm. When Steve started having trouble swallowing, he went for his first biopsy. His GI Dr. had never seen anything like it and said it wasn’t good. It took two biopsies and several pathologists to confirm the diagnosis because it is rare. It was a neuroendocrine cancer of the esophagus. Steve also went to MD Anderson for a second opinion. They confirmed the diagnosis and agreed to be part of his team. Sadly, there is no treatment regimen. I believe it is a solid tumor and is being treated like a small cell lung cancer. His team of doctors recommended platinum-based chemotherapy drugs cisplatin and carboplatin to arrest the cancer. After 4 months, the treatment did little to stop the growth. So, his doctors switched him to a combination of immunotherapy drugs, OPDIVO and YERVOY. These drugs appear to slow the tumors growth except the bone lesions. He is starting a new drug to help his bones. The new drug is taken once a month in addition to the immunotherapy.