Ray's Bladder Cancer Battle

Early November 2016, Ray made an appointment to see his primary doctor due to unknown issues he had been having, causing frequent urination all day and night long. He was sleepless and tired of being TIRED. After having an ultrasound, MRI and other tests done, he was referred to a Urologist, looking for more answers. More tests were performed and the Urologist determined there was a "growth" on his bladder causing the frequent urination. On November 21, 2016, Ray had an appointment at St. Pats Hospital to have the growth removed from his bladder. The overnight surgery we were expecting, suddenly became an unexpected 3 day stay in ICU. Ray's kidneys had failed on him, near being lethal. He had stints put in his kidneys and the surgery was considered a success, minus the growth would still remain. Post-surgery, our family spoke with the surgeon and he gave us more information on what he saw during this procedure. What appeared to be one tumor, was actually two. One located on his bladder and the other in his colon. We would do a follow-up on this in a few weeks. On Thanksgiving day, Ray was released from the hospital. The following night, his health took a turn for the worse. He was sick! Ray could not control his nausea/vomiting and refused any food or drink. This was a symptom his surgeon told us to look for and if it were to happen, he would need to be readmitted to the hospital. Ray was taken back to St. Pat's hospital just before midnight and hooked back up to the IV's. He was released hours later. We received a call from the colon surgeon to schedule a colonoscopy to locate the tumor and decide when and how we would approach his next surgery. Colonoscopy was clear, no tumors or any sign of cancer. The second tumor was also on his bladder, sitting only near his colon. A biopsy was taken from Rays bladder. After a long wait, we finally received results. After two pathologists reviewed results, it was one of two things. Either a rare form of bladder cancer or it's cancer that has spread from a different area of his body. The characteristics of what was seen under the microscope was not something they usually see, as why they couldn't make a ruling on what/where it was precisely. Next, he had to have a PET scan. The PET scan does a full body scan to see all areas of the body and where the cancer resides. Based on results, Ray was finally given a diagnosis, bladder cancer. The cancer has had minimal spreading but not to distant sites. His bladder, prostate and lymph nodes located near his kidneys have been invaded by the cancer. Due to the severity of the bladder cancer, it's been determined it's Stage 4 and the only way to treat it is to remove all parts effected. (Bladder, prostate and lymph nodes) This is a major surgery that requires two surgeons and both their teams if it's performed locally. We had a surgery date of January 30, 2017 as the earliest availability. That date has now been post-poned. His surgeons feel his health needs urgent medical attention and are seeking a surgeon in a major city to perform this before January 30, 2017. He will either be flown to Seattle, Salt Lake City or a major cancer center located in Texas. His health is progressively getting worse. Ray has lost 30+ pounds since Thanksgiving. He's living with daily vomiting, weakness, dizzy spells, pain and the only thing keeping him comfortable is sleep, to pass time. We need to get him the medical attention he absolutely needs and deserves. Due to the whirlwind of events with Rays health, he and his wife Joann, fear what the future may bring and their financial standing. Ray is the primary financial provider in their home and is now unable to work. With the major surgery, comes travel expenses. We are seeking financial assistance to help minimize the stress of airfare, lodging, fuel and the cost of meals away from home. There has been many tears shared amongst our family. Through the pain, we are very optimistic in restoring Rays health. Any dollar amount donated will make an impact. Our family is and will continue to be forever grateful.

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