Phill's Fight for His Life

Imagine being told you had less than a year to live.  Phillip Casall, 32, of Las Vegas doesn’t have to imagine this.  It is his reality.  Phill has Stage IV Metastatic Colorectal Cancer.  Phill’s response when I told him I was going to start a go fund me was “there are people who need it more than me, I’ll be okay.”  I argued, that for once in his life he needed stop worrying about others and worry about himself.  Mere words cannot convey how important Phill is to so many people and how loved he is by those who know him.  For anyone who knows Phill, you know that he would be the first person to pitch in for you.  He has probably helped you move, got you into a club, took you to dinner, covered your shift, or checked on you when you were down.  For those of you who don’t know Phill, just know that he is the type of friend whose presence makes you a better person.  My goal is to raise $100,000 to help with the bills that are piling up and to allow Phill to focus on spending time with his loved ones, as he continues to battle this deadly disease.  Phill recently proposed to his longtime girlfriend and love of his life, Sandra.  I would like to use some of the money for them to plan a wedding in the future.  I need your help to make this happen.  I remember April 2017 very well.  Phill had complained of some stomach pain and was scheduled for an MRI.  He said the doctor saw nothing.  Within a few days, Phill found himself in cold bath of his own blood and more pain than he ever thought possible.  The “nothing” the doctors saw on the MRI turned in to a Stage III Colorectal Cancer diagnosis.  No one saw that coming, especially Phill.   Phill has a unique way of making everything seem okay though.  He said he was going to beat it and spent the next year fighting to do just that.  He had to stop working, after just getting promoted, and spent most of his time in the hospital or sick from chemo.  The doctors performed an ileostomy and he was told that it would more than likely be permanent.  The chemo that made him sick wasn’t nearly as bad as the radiation that caused blisters in areas no one should have to experience.  Phill’s spirits remained high and when I talked to him he was still more worried about how I was doing, than he ever was about himself.  His courage to fight this disease and his unwavering positive attitude made it almost seem as if he wasn’t sick when you talked to him.  When you saw him, however, that was a different story, but he always had a smile on his face.  He continued to take care of family and friends, because that is just who he is.  As the months went by, the cancer was shrinking and the prognosis was looking good.  Phill did exactly what he said he would do.  He beat cancer.  He was also able to have a reverse ileostomy!  Phill couldn’t have been happier and was excited to get back to being “normal”.  He had to undergo some final tests and a PET scan to confirm remission.  In April 2018, while we were all celebrating Phill’s remission, the PET scan showed that, while the cancer was gone from his colon, it had metastasized to his lungs.  His cancer was upgraded to Stage IV, as he began another fight for his life.  Phill was immediately placed back on chemo, only this time it was worse.  He didn’t even think that was possible, yet he continued to persevere.  He was still positive and always concerned about how the rest of us were doing.  His bills continued to increase and pile up.  He lives in Vegas, but has to travel back and forth to a specialist in Houston for treatment and doctor visits.  He also struggled several times with insurance covering all the necessary treatments and other drugs that allowed him to handle the pain and nausea.  After his first round of chemo in August 2018, Phill was told that the cancer had shrunk.  That was the last good news he received.  For the last 10 months, Phill has been through a hell that no one should experience in their lifetime.  Subsequent visits and scans showed that the lung cancer was not shrinking. At the beginning of May 2019, Phill thought he pulled something in his shoulder.  He visited the local doctor in Las Vegas and was told that it was not cancer.  By the end of May, he was receiving radiation for bone cancer in his shoulder.  This was on top of the chemo he was receiving for lung cancer. While he was still receiving radiation for his shoulder, he started having back pain.  He visited the same local hospital in Las Vegas and was told he had an abscess on his spine.  After the misdiagnosis for the shoulder, Phill was taking no chances.  He flew down to Houston and found out that the cancer had spread to his spine.  The doctor told Phill that he had a year to live, if he was lucky.  We are all heartbroken, but know that if anyone can beat this, it will be Phill.  The doctor has stopped chemo, since it is not working and the cancer is spreading quickly.  Phill has begun radiation on his spine.  We refuse to let this be the end of Phill’s fight, but the road ahead will be long and harder than what he has already experienced.  Phill’s doctor is looking into clinical trials and this would potentially require more frequent trips to Houston for Phill and his fiancé.  Phill will be exhausting all treatment options and we all remain hopeful that he will qualify for a clinical trial.  Phill WILL beat this! I am asking for you all to pitch in what you can no matter the amount.  Every dollar counts and is greatly appreciated.  Phill has helped so many people and it is his turn to get the help he deserves, as he continues the fight for his life.  Thank you in advance for your generosity! Anyone who prefers to help outside of Go Fund Me, please contact me personally as to not bombard Phill or his family.  We would love any help/donations you all want to send. Michelle Mullen [phone redacted]