Help Jeremy Fight Cancer

In May of 2021, we were given the news that no one wants to hear. Jeremy was diagnosed with throat cancer, Stage 1 Squamous Cell Carcinoma. He underwent a seven-week treatment of Chemo and radiation that we all believed would clear him. This past December, he got his PET scans done, and we were met with the devastating news that although the cancer was no longer in his throat, it had now spread to his bones, which means he is now in Stage 4. After a couple of months of waiting for biopsy results and consultation appointments, Jeremy has now started his next treatment of immunotherapy and chemotherapy infusions with a radiation schedule to follow.

 

Jeremy Dexter-Smith is a loving, caring, hard-working husband, son, brother, brother-in-law, uncle, and friend. He has lived on Kauaʻi for almost 15 years and has served many of us with delicious sushi, sausage, and other yummy meals. If you know Jeremy, you know he enjoys fishing, being on his boat, hanging with Jake (their dog), and being with Hali and his family. He is married to an amazing wife, Hali, and they are so blessed to have a marriage filled with laughter and love. Jeremy is adored by his niece and nephew, Brea and Nainoa, who love being with Uncle Jeremy. His parents, Michael and Barbara Dexter-Smith and sister Becky, from whom Jeremy definitely gets his giving heart, have spent a good portion of the past year traveling from their new home in North Carolina to support Hali and Jeremy.

 

Many of you may not have known about Jeremy’s diagnosis, but many will know that this isn’t his first battle with cancer. He is a fighter and will continue to fight. He has a long road ahead of him, and although he and Hali had hoped to take care of everything on their own, they now realize that the road ahead will be much longer than they originally anticipated. Jeremy hasnʻt been able to work since his first treatment cycle and will not be able to work for the foreseeable future. This means that their familyʻs bills are falling solely on Haliʻs income.

 

Like many other families who deal with a cancer diagnosis, we struggle to understand why, but we also know that we will get through this with the love and support of each other and our community. We are asking for support to help cover monthly bills and the many unexpected bills that come from treating cancer so that Jeremy and Hali can focus on keeping him comfortable and stress-free while he fights this cancer.