Help AC Fight Cancer!
Donation protected
This time last year I felt better than I ever have. I made a series of lifestyle changes, including quitting smoking and altering my diet, and felt completely renewed. I had a new found sense of productivity and was extremely optimistic about the future. Moving on my creative background, I began studying and receiving certifications from Google in digital advertising and was preparing to launch a new venture - a new brand and a new career.
Throughout the summer, I would work tirelessly at my day job, then come home and dive into studying, testing, designing, and building. It made for less time with my family, but the positive energy that came from my determination flowed through the household. Greatness was on the verge, and we all knew it. Then slowly, things changed.
As fall set in, so did an unusual exhaustion. I could no longer bring myself to work on my own projects after working at my day job all day. I would come home with chills and pass out before dinner. I lost all drive, and I couldn't for the life of me understand why. As the days passed, I was not only swept with intense fatigue and chills, but I also developed unusual abdominal, chest, and back pain, headaches, and drenching night sweats. My wife persistently asked me to go get checked out, but I continued to brush it off as something that would come to pass.
It was Thanksgiving morning that I woke up and, shirtless, passed a mirror and noticed I had lost a lot of weight. I hopped on a scale and realized I was down thirty pounds or better. That's when I knew I couldn't brush it off any longer. I knew something was seriously wrong.
On December 2, 2018, I went to the emergency room where I had a CT scan that revealed a stomach full of swollen lymph nodes, and was told that I most likely have lymphoma, a type of cancer that effects the lymphatic system. I was admitted for four days, during which I had a fine-needle biopsy that confirmed that I have a rare type of Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma called Anaplastic Large Cell Lymphoma. I'm classified as Stage 3, meaning the cancer is present in both sides of the diaphragm - specifically, in my neck, chest, armpits, stomach, and pelvis.
Throughout the summer, I would work tirelessly at my day job, then come home and dive into studying, testing, designing, and building. It made for less time with my family, but the positive energy that came from my determination flowed through the household. Greatness was on the verge, and we all knew it. Then slowly, things changed.
As fall set in, so did an unusual exhaustion. I could no longer bring myself to work on my own projects after working at my day job all day. I would come home with chills and pass out before dinner. I lost all drive, and I couldn't for the life of me understand why. As the days passed, I was not only swept with intense fatigue and chills, but I also developed unusual abdominal, chest, and back pain, headaches, and drenching night sweats. My wife persistently asked me to go get checked out, but I continued to brush it off as something that would come to pass.
It was Thanksgiving morning that I woke up and, shirtless, passed a mirror and noticed I had lost a lot of weight. I hopped on a scale and realized I was down thirty pounds or better. That's when I knew I couldn't brush it off any longer. I knew something was seriously wrong.
On December 2, 2018, I went to the emergency room where I had a CT scan that revealed a stomach full of swollen lymph nodes, and was told that I most likely have lymphoma, a type of cancer that effects the lymphatic system. I was admitted for four days, during which I had a fine-needle biopsy that confirmed that I have a rare type of Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma called Anaplastic Large Cell Lymphoma. I'm classified as Stage 3, meaning the cancer is present in both sides of the diaphragm - specifically, in my neck, chest, armpits, stomach, and pelvis.
I started chemotherapy on January 15, 2019 - thirteen days before my 27th birthday. I initially took about a month and a half off of work to assess how I would respond to treatment and to allow myself adequate rest. I have handled treatment fairly well so far, though not without incident. After my first round, I developed a respiratory infection that required an aggressive four day intravenous antibiotic treatment. After my second round of chemotherapy, I tried to ease back into work. Naturally, I got sick again.
I'm still trying to pull a few hours a week at work, but now having just completed my third round of chemotherapy, the effects of which seem to be cumulative, it's starting to weigh on me. I'm lucky to have an employer that cares enough to accommodate me through this tough time, but it's troubling that I cannot adequately perform my job as I once could, and I'm concerned that even if I achieve remission, it could be a long time before I'm able to sufficiently do my job again. The uncertainty accompanying the disease, at times, seems more crippling than the disease itself. More than anything, I want to continue the project I was working on so diligently before my diagnosis. I want to successfully pave myself a new career path, bringing my ideas to fruition and proving to my wife and kids that anything is possible.
In the meantime, I have at least three more rounds of chemotherapy and a hell of a journey still ahead of me. For the past eight years, I have provided for my wife, our two children, and numerous others without pause. Now, as much as it pains me to say, I need help. The goal we've set is to address the medical expenses associated with cancer treatment and testing, living expenses while being unable to work during treatment, and getting back on track after achieving remission. We greatly appreciate anything that anyone can give, and look forward to winning this battle and reaching a position to pay it forward. Thanks so much to all those who have taken the time to read our story. We'll be sure to keep you all updated. Much love, from our family to yours!
I'm still trying to pull a few hours a week at work, but now having just completed my third round of chemotherapy, the effects of which seem to be cumulative, it's starting to weigh on me. I'm lucky to have an employer that cares enough to accommodate me through this tough time, but it's troubling that I cannot adequately perform my job as I once could, and I'm concerned that even if I achieve remission, it could be a long time before I'm able to sufficiently do my job again. The uncertainty accompanying the disease, at times, seems more crippling than the disease itself. More than anything, I want to continue the project I was working on so diligently before my diagnosis. I want to successfully pave myself a new career path, bringing my ideas to fruition and proving to my wife and kids that anything is possible.
In the meantime, I have at least three more rounds of chemotherapy and a hell of a journey still ahead of me. For the past eight years, I have provided for my wife, our two children, and numerous others without pause. Now, as much as it pains me to say, I need help. The goal we've set is to address the medical expenses associated with cancer treatment and testing, living expenses while being unable to work during treatment, and getting back on track after achieving remission. We greatly appreciate anything that anyone can give, and look forward to winning this battle and reaching a position to pay it forward. Thanks so much to all those who have taken the time to read our story. We'll be sure to keep you all updated. Much love, from our family to yours!
Organizer
AC Poteete
Organizer
Blountsville, AL
