Thyroid cancer surgery for Mark R.
On June 8, 2015, my family received very upsetting news. After finding a lump on his neck, my dad, Mark Rustad, was diagnosed with thyroid cancer.
The good news is that thyroid cancer is extremely treatable, and surgery has very high success rates when caught in early stages.
The bad news is that while my dad does have insurance through his work, it is still leaving my parents with a devastating out-of-pocket cost for tests and treatments. The tests up to this point have cost about $1300, and the surgery to remove his thyroid and lymph nodes will cost around $14,000. After the surgery, further tests to confirm the absence of the cancer, and other costly treatments (such as radioactive iodine therapy, common in thyroid cancer treatment) may follow. The insurance company denied authorization for the test to determine the stage or type of thyroid cancer, so unfortunately we will not know that information until the tissue is tested post-surgery.
However, the doctor feels confident about going ahead with the treatment. The surgery will take place on July 2nd, and will be performed by Dr. Douglas M. Sorensen at St. Joseph Medical Center in Tacoma, WA. The surgery should take three hours and my dad will be recovering at the hospital for about three days. We're very grateful that my dad's care will be in such capable hands.
I love my parents so much and I want to do everything in my power to help assuage this sudden financial burden. My dad has worked so hard to get to where he is now, and my family can all testify to the incredible challenges he has faced and overcome. I fully believe this will be no different, and while I will be making my own contribution, I know there are others who care deeply for my family and have expressed a desire to help how they can. I understand that not everyone is able to financially contribute, but for those who can and would like to do so, I wanted to provide an avenue of support. Sending him words of encouragement or simply sharing his story via the campaign link would be so greatly appreciated.
In lieu of future Christmas presents, birthday gifts or other gestures for me, I would ask that my friends and family consider supporting my dad. There is no greater Father's Day gift I could imagine than the ongoing support and love of those who care for my family as much as I do.
Thank you for sharing in our story and supporting my dad with your kind words and incredible generosity. It is sincerely appreciated more than I can say.
Chelsea Rustad