Steve Beats Cancer Medical Fund
Donation protected
Dear friends and family,
This is the hardest thing I have ever had to write. Never did I expect to be on the other side of a Go-Fund-Me writing a description for someone that I love. It is so hard to ask for help and it is even more difficult to put these words to paper and broadcast them publicly. My wonderful sister is the one, in fact, who has encouraged us and inspired us to pursue a Go-Fund-Me and it is with her help that I am able to write this.
I am here to ask for the support of Steve Chavez, my other half and partner in all things. Steve was diagnosed in May 2016 with Stage 4 Pancreatic Cancer.
We went to UNM for a Whipple procedure, for what appeared to be a low grade tumor found on his pancreas. His oncology team was encouraging and very positive that it had been caught early & that the Whipple procedure could successfully resect the tumor and Steve could go on with his life cancer free.
3 hours into the 10 hour surgery, I was called into a small room – just me and Steve’s surgeon –still in his scrubs & a bewildered look on his face. My first thought was that Steve must have done really well in surgery to be done so soon, but Dr. Nir’s puzzled look and somber tone made my heart sink. Steve’s surgery was terminated early when they found more tumors dotting his liver. The cancer had metastasized and is now Stage IV.
You can find all the statistics on line for what this may mean. We have even had an oncologist tell us very matter-of-factly how much time Steve has. But we are not living our lives within such limited confines. In fact, I refuse to repeat those limitations, even here. Instead we focus on all of the amazing success stories and experiences people have had beating cancer against all the most dyer statistics.
In fact, if you know Steve, you may not even know that this is something he is battling. He has such an incredible resolve to give cancer the finger and beat this thing & appears healthy and strong.
He is the father of two amazing kiddos, 7 and 9. Kids who have no fear about their dad beating cancer because they know just how strong he is – something they tell him all the time. He is one of the strongest men that I know. Generous and loving. Strong in spirit, sharp witted, easy to crack a joke. Determined. A man who despite a lifetime of hardships, walks in the light and keeps his head high, his heart strong, and his family happy and healthy.
Steve has been through three rounds of chemotherapy, that have proven to be unsuccessful at this point. The options given by his oncology specialist is more chemo and potential radiation to see if over time it could maybe be beneficial - up to a year and half’s worth. She pointed out that they would be hesitant to do more than that as it could potentially kill him.
After pouring over medical journals and doing an amazing amount of research and soul searching, Steve has decided that if the doctor’s are right – that he has X amount of time – he does not want it to be weakened and debilitated by chemotherapy treatments that have shown very little success for his type of cancer.
Steve is an advocate for his health – both body and spirit – and knows deep down in his bones that this is not the right path for him. He knows too that he wants to be strong and perpetuate a quality of life for him and his kids for as long as possible. Quality that we hope will bring quantity.
Steve has done an incredible amount of research that has lead him to a local naturopath trained by Dr. Nicholas Gonzalez who specializes in pancreatic enzyme therapy. This treatment method has shown enormous success for patients with pancreatic cancer. This in conjunction with a number of other alternative therapies is the healing path that Steve has decided to pursue.
And this is where the Go-Fund-me kicks in…
Financially, we have struggled, yet every month we miraculously make it through, and for that, we are so grateful. However, the cost of pursuing alternative medicine is out of our reach. Our goal amount is $28,000. This will cover up to 6 months of treatments, after which and with success, the cost will go down and Steve will hopefully be healthy enough to return to work, which will in turn help off set the cost of continuing treatments.
We are certainly stepping out of our comfort zone in asking for help. Any contribution, both great and small, and absolutely including prayers will be of the greatest help and greatly appreciated.
I am incredibly proud of Steve for making such a bold and brave choice to advocate for his health. His courage in the face of cancer inspires and strengthens his children and me. Check back here for updates! We hope that Steve’s story also brings inspiration and strength to others.
From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for taking the time to read our story. Please feel free to share it.
Sending you all lots of love and light from Taos,
Dana & Steve
This is the hardest thing I have ever had to write. Never did I expect to be on the other side of a Go-Fund-Me writing a description for someone that I love. It is so hard to ask for help and it is even more difficult to put these words to paper and broadcast them publicly. My wonderful sister is the one, in fact, who has encouraged us and inspired us to pursue a Go-Fund-Me and it is with her help that I am able to write this.
I am here to ask for the support of Steve Chavez, my other half and partner in all things. Steve was diagnosed in May 2016 with Stage 4 Pancreatic Cancer.
We went to UNM for a Whipple procedure, for what appeared to be a low grade tumor found on his pancreas. His oncology team was encouraging and very positive that it had been caught early & that the Whipple procedure could successfully resect the tumor and Steve could go on with his life cancer free.
3 hours into the 10 hour surgery, I was called into a small room – just me and Steve’s surgeon –still in his scrubs & a bewildered look on his face. My first thought was that Steve must have done really well in surgery to be done so soon, but Dr. Nir’s puzzled look and somber tone made my heart sink. Steve’s surgery was terminated early when they found more tumors dotting his liver. The cancer had metastasized and is now Stage IV.
You can find all the statistics on line for what this may mean. We have even had an oncologist tell us very matter-of-factly how much time Steve has. But we are not living our lives within such limited confines. In fact, I refuse to repeat those limitations, even here. Instead we focus on all of the amazing success stories and experiences people have had beating cancer against all the most dyer statistics.
In fact, if you know Steve, you may not even know that this is something he is battling. He has such an incredible resolve to give cancer the finger and beat this thing & appears healthy and strong.
He is the father of two amazing kiddos, 7 and 9. Kids who have no fear about their dad beating cancer because they know just how strong he is – something they tell him all the time. He is one of the strongest men that I know. Generous and loving. Strong in spirit, sharp witted, easy to crack a joke. Determined. A man who despite a lifetime of hardships, walks in the light and keeps his head high, his heart strong, and his family happy and healthy.
Steve has been through three rounds of chemotherapy, that have proven to be unsuccessful at this point. The options given by his oncology specialist is more chemo and potential radiation to see if over time it could maybe be beneficial - up to a year and half’s worth. She pointed out that they would be hesitant to do more than that as it could potentially kill him.
After pouring over medical journals and doing an amazing amount of research and soul searching, Steve has decided that if the doctor’s are right – that he has X amount of time – he does not want it to be weakened and debilitated by chemotherapy treatments that have shown very little success for his type of cancer.
Steve is an advocate for his health – both body and spirit – and knows deep down in his bones that this is not the right path for him. He knows too that he wants to be strong and perpetuate a quality of life for him and his kids for as long as possible. Quality that we hope will bring quantity.
Steve has done an incredible amount of research that has lead him to a local naturopath trained by Dr. Nicholas Gonzalez who specializes in pancreatic enzyme therapy. This treatment method has shown enormous success for patients with pancreatic cancer. This in conjunction with a number of other alternative therapies is the healing path that Steve has decided to pursue.
And this is where the Go-Fund-me kicks in…
Financially, we have struggled, yet every month we miraculously make it through, and for that, we are so grateful. However, the cost of pursuing alternative medicine is out of our reach. Our goal amount is $28,000. This will cover up to 6 months of treatments, after which and with success, the cost will go down and Steve will hopefully be healthy enough to return to work, which will in turn help off set the cost of continuing treatments.
We are certainly stepping out of our comfort zone in asking for help. Any contribution, both great and small, and absolutely including prayers will be of the greatest help and greatly appreciated.
I am incredibly proud of Steve for making such a bold and brave choice to advocate for his health. His courage in the face of cancer inspires and strengthens his children and me. Check back here for updates! We hope that Steve’s story also brings inspiration and strength to others.
From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for taking the time to read our story. Please feel free to share it.
Sending you all lots of love and light from Taos,
Dana & Steve
Organizer
Dana Blair
Organizer
El Prado, NM
