Life for Larry after cancer
Donation protected
Everyone who knows me, knows my dad is my world. With my mum passing away when I was just 3months old, my dad has been my sole parent for the majority of my life. He is kind, funny and generous to everyone he meets- which is even more amazing considering he is on a disability pension and lives barely above the poverty line himself. His willingness to invite everyone he meets into his house so he can feed them even though it means he may go without is truely inspiring. My dads bubbly personality, long hair and hippy nature made him a firm favourite among my friends, and his tendency to bring home injured wildlife and nurture it back to health meant throughout my teenage years I always had a new story to tell about Laz and his turtles, birds or lizards. He is a breath of fresh air to everyone he meets.
Around 6months ago, dad began experiencing problems eating. His reflux and heartburn increased, he had difficulty swallowing food and then started vomiting up everything he managed to eat. The doctor put us on a waiting list for 6months until the next available endoscopy appointment, but we couldn't wait. Dad was starving to death and needed action, now.
We sought a second opinion and got an X-ray. Seeing my dad cry with fear when they told him he had a mass in his esophagus was the hardest thing I'd ever gone through.
On the 23rd of the 4th this year, dad was diagnosed with advanced esophageal cancer. If we had waited until his original scheduled appointment, he would already be dead and I would have lost my only living parent. We were thrown into a whirlwind of radiation treatments daily and six hour chemo sessions weekly, meaning I couldn't work and also deferred uni to be with dad and continually keep up the stream of puréed soups he was living on.
Yesterday he underwent an esophagectomy, a major operation and the most invasive surgical procedure second only to a heart and lung transplant. He had the part of his esophagus tube containing the tumour removed and his stomach stretched up and stitched to the remaining esophagus to create a new route for food to travel. The fact he made it through the operation is in itself a blessing. Now that he is in ICU we are just hoping for zero complications and a smooth recovery.
Although far better than the alternative, Dads operation will reduce the quality of his life. I will now be spending 85% of my time with him as his carer for as long as we are lucky enough to have him on this earth. He will need to be kept on a strict vegan diet of small meals throughout the day, kept active with walks (which with a mobility disability at age 62 is a feat in itself) and he needs to remain elevated at all times when sitting and sleeping. Because of his operation, laying flat or on his side will cause him to experience pain, extreme heartburn and nausea and also may cause him to aspirate. To prevent this from happening, I now am trying to organise enough money to buy him a double electrical bed that can be raised to minimise his pain while sleeping.
With dad only receiving a disability pension, and with me being unable to work while I'm taking care of him, it's been a struggle to gather enough money to feed ourselves and pay for hospital parking fees-let alone such a huge expense. So I'm hoping people will find it in their hearts to help us. Any donation, even $1 will be appreciated and help me towards getting a medical bed for dad at home. Any additional money received will be put towards a small secondhand chest freezer so that I have somewhere to store dads soups and also donated to esophagus cancer research to hopefully help fund advances in early detection.
If you cannot donate, simply sharing this with your Facebook friends will hopefully increase my chances of meeting my goal.
Thankyou so much for taking the time to read this even if you cannot donate, and I wish you and your family good luck and good health ❤️
Around 6months ago, dad began experiencing problems eating. His reflux and heartburn increased, he had difficulty swallowing food and then started vomiting up everything he managed to eat. The doctor put us on a waiting list for 6months until the next available endoscopy appointment, but we couldn't wait. Dad was starving to death and needed action, now.
We sought a second opinion and got an X-ray. Seeing my dad cry with fear when they told him he had a mass in his esophagus was the hardest thing I'd ever gone through.
On the 23rd of the 4th this year, dad was diagnosed with advanced esophageal cancer. If we had waited until his original scheduled appointment, he would already be dead and I would have lost my only living parent. We were thrown into a whirlwind of radiation treatments daily and six hour chemo sessions weekly, meaning I couldn't work and also deferred uni to be with dad and continually keep up the stream of puréed soups he was living on.
Yesterday he underwent an esophagectomy, a major operation and the most invasive surgical procedure second only to a heart and lung transplant. He had the part of his esophagus tube containing the tumour removed and his stomach stretched up and stitched to the remaining esophagus to create a new route for food to travel. The fact he made it through the operation is in itself a blessing. Now that he is in ICU we are just hoping for zero complications and a smooth recovery.
Although far better than the alternative, Dads operation will reduce the quality of his life. I will now be spending 85% of my time with him as his carer for as long as we are lucky enough to have him on this earth. He will need to be kept on a strict vegan diet of small meals throughout the day, kept active with walks (which with a mobility disability at age 62 is a feat in itself) and he needs to remain elevated at all times when sitting and sleeping. Because of his operation, laying flat or on his side will cause him to experience pain, extreme heartburn and nausea and also may cause him to aspirate. To prevent this from happening, I now am trying to organise enough money to buy him a double electrical bed that can be raised to minimise his pain while sleeping.
With dad only receiving a disability pension, and with me being unable to work while I'm taking care of him, it's been a struggle to gather enough money to feed ourselves and pay for hospital parking fees-let alone such a huge expense. So I'm hoping people will find it in their hearts to help us. Any donation, even $1 will be appreciated and help me towards getting a medical bed for dad at home. Any additional money received will be put towards a small secondhand chest freezer so that I have somewhere to store dads soups and also donated to esophagus cancer research to hopefully help fund advances in early detection.
If you cannot donate, simply sharing this with your Facebook friends will hopefully increase my chances of meeting my goal.
Thankyou so much for taking the time to read this even if you cannot donate, and I wish you and your family good luck and good health ❤️
Organizer
Ashlee Spalding-Sykes
Organizer
Adelaide SA
