Help beat cancer and beat poverty
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I am a 69 year old male, I married my high school sweetheart 48 years ago and am a husband, father, grandfather, and great grandfather. And I am a veteran, having served in the U.S. Army. The following pictures were taken before the weight loss manifested itself.
With my daughter on a train trip to San Antonio, Tx
One of my beautiful granddaughters.
My precious little great grandaughter.
I served as a combat medic in Viet Nam, came home and completed my two years working as an acting ward master on the womens terminal cancer ward at Walter Reed Army Medical Center (I have watched too many people die from cancer, including my mother). Then I worked for the Air Force as a civilian doing electronic work on airborne radar at Oklahoma City Air Material Area (Tinker AFB). Later in life I sought and received training as a medical (therapeutic) massage therapist, and later as a Hyperbaric Medical Technician. I have treated returned vets for PTSD and other combat ailments. I taught massage therapy to students at Oklahoma Academy.
I have always found it easy to be the helper. I never wanted to ask for anything for myself. However, I have asked for help for projects, and for others, but never myself. But life circumstances have changed all that for me. Now that I am on a fixed income (retired) and I find myself fighting cancer. My wife is still working though she is past retirement age, but she has done it to provide me with necessary medical help. In 2013 I first heard the word "cancer" associated with my name. First it was colon cancer, then kidney cancer, then agressive prostate cancer. With insurance & our part these were all taken care of. The kidney cancer has now returned with a vengence as a metestatic renal cell carcnoma. Now I find myself fighting for my life. The nature of the fight has changed everything. What my insurance will cover now is not enough. The battle is far from over, but to continue is expensive and beyond my financial capability.
I am a Mr. Fixit kind of a guy, and I am faced with something I cannot "fix." The cancer has had little effect on my life so far, but the conventional meds that are to slow the cancer have produced every known side effect in me, some to greater and some to lesser extent. Nausea that at times seemed to never quit, loss of appetite, loss of taste, blood pressure spikes, loss of weight, headaches, degraded kidney function, and on and on. My only choice is to seek help so that I can go to the clinic where I stand an excellent chance of defeating this cancer. They have a very good record of defeating difficult cancers and I need to do the whole treatment.
This pic taken after the failed "debulking" procedure, tells a lot about what the "targeted therapy" has done to me.
So I find myself in the difficult position of having to ask for help. I am not good at this because it is alien to me to ask for myself. But I know that it is my only recourse at this point in time.
Note from Thelma: George has had a great attitude & spirit about him through this trial. It has been hard to watch him go from a healthy hands on/do it yourself/Mr. Fixit guy to 135 lbs. and frequent visits to the doctor or ER. There are several of our friends going through similar experiences. Many of you are unable to help financially and we understand. I recognize that most of us are struggling financially making ends meet already, and raising this much funding quickly will be nothing short of a miracle—so that’s what I’m praying for—a MIRACLE if God wants us to go this direction!
Thank you from both families: Carl and Shirren and George and Thelma, may God bless you all!
I am a 69 year old male, I married my high school sweetheart 48 years ago and am a husband, father, grandfather, and great grandfather. And I am a veteran, having served in the U.S. Army. The following pictures were taken before the weight loss manifested itself.
With my daughter on a train trip to San Antonio, Tx
One of my beautiful granddaughters.My precious little great grandaughter.
I served as a combat medic in Viet Nam, came home and completed my two years working as an acting ward master on the womens terminal cancer ward at Walter Reed Army Medical Center (I have watched too many people die from cancer, including my mother). Then I worked for the Air Force as a civilian doing electronic work on airborne radar at Oklahoma City Air Material Area (Tinker AFB). Later in life I sought and received training as a medical (therapeutic) massage therapist, and later as a Hyperbaric Medical Technician. I have treated returned vets for PTSD and other combat ailments. I taught massage therapy to students at Oklahoma Academy.
I have always found it easy to be the helper. I never wanted to ask for anything for myself. However, I have asked for help for projects, and for others, but never myself. But life circumstances have changed all that for me. Now that I am on a fixed income (retired) and I find myself fighting cancer. My wife is still working though she is past retirement age, but she has done it to provide me with necessary medical help. In 2013 I first heard the word "cancer" associated with my name. First it was colon cancer, then kidney cancer, then agressive prostate cancer. With insurance & our part these were all taken care of. The kidney cancer has now returned with a vengence as a metestatic renal cell carcnoma. Now I find myself fighting for my life. The nature of the fight has changed everything. What my insurance will cover now is not enough. The battle is far from over, but to continue is expensive and beyond my financial capability.
I am a Mr. Fixit kind of a guy, and I am faced with something I cannot "fix." The cancer has had little effect on my life so far, but the conventional meds that are to slow the cancer have produced every known side effect in me, some to greater and some to lesser extent. Nausea that at times seemed to never quit, loss of appetite, loss of taste, blood pressure spikes, loss of weight, headaches, degraded kidney function, and on and on. My only choice is to seek help so that I can go to the clinic where I stand an excellent chance of defeating this cancer. They have a very good record of defeating difficult cancers and I need to do the whole treatment.
This pic taken after the failed "debulking" procedure, tells a lot about what the "targeted therapy" has done to me.
So I find myself in the difficult position of having to ask for help. I am not good at this because it is alien to me to ask for myself. But I know that it is my only recourse at this point in time.
Note from Thelma: George has had a great attitude & spirit about him through this trial. It has been hard to watch him go from a healthy hands on/do it yourself/Mr. Fixit guy to 135 lbs. and frequent visits to the doctor or ER. There are several of our friends going through similar experiences. Many of you are unable to help financially and we understand. I recognize that most of us are struggling financially making ends meet already, and raising this much funding quickly will be nothing short of a miracle—so that’s what I’m praying for—a MIRACLE if God wants us to go this direction!
Thank you from both families: Carl and Shirren and George and Thelma, may God bless you all!
Organizer
Carl Garver
Organizer
Lake Stevens, WA
