Steve Hafner's Fight Against Cancer
Donation protected
We are raising money for a young caring man who was just diagnosed with cancer.
Below is Steve's story in his words:
Last fall I hurt my back (thought it was from lifting a mini frig), and was treating it as directed by a physician using NASID (Motrin, Ibuprophen, etc.) thru August and September. End of September I’m not getting any better and after 3 ER visits, 1 Urgent Care visit and god knows how many visits to my primary care provider I hit the ER one last time and they caught me in a stage 4 kidney failure. At this time they thought it was due to the NSAID’s over time. Early October, I was released as my kidneys were getting somewhat better.
Unfortunately my back wasn’t; even after 2 lumbar steroid epidural injections. I was sent home and as I prepared for a family vacation I broke 2 ribs bending over from my office chair. The back doctor referred me to an endocrinologist finally after the pain management and back doctor couldn’t figure out what was happening (this was now early January of this year).
The Endocrinologist finds multiple deficiencies which included but aren’t limited to severe osteoporosis (I’m 42 and male so this is really odd) and low vitamin D, low Testosterone, severely anemic and what looks like possible Celiacs-Sprew disease (gluten intolerance) at this time I start on the meds he prescribes and he referred me to an oncologist.
The oncologist did more blood work and at the time I didn’t show anything else was wrong. They had performed by this time MRI’s on whole body on my back on my head to ensure no pituitary gland tumor, ultrasounds on my thyroid and parathyroid to ensure no issues with them, and CAT scans as well. Everything started seeming to get better, even my back was better at times . What was even better ... I was able to walk without a cane.
Mid-March of this year (2018) things start going downhill, and my upper body/chest is in pain from strain trying to compensate me walking with the bad back. It had gotten to the point that I couldn’t walk unaided, couldn’t catch a breath because of the chest pain and essentially became bed ridden early to mid April. I now use a walker to get around my bedroom and to the bathroom, which is 10 to 15 feet away from the foot of my bed, takes me a good 30 minutes at this point.
So I had a follow up on April 30th with the endocrinologist and he pretty much called it from the blood work and labs but wanted to be sure so sent me back to the oncologist.
At that visit, the oncologist wanted to do a bone marrow test and because its an ordeal and I mean excruciating painful ordeal for me to get to a doctor at all I opted to do it then and there. Follow up appointment is where it was confirmed from the bone marrow test that I indeed have Multiple Myeloma cancer and it is also possibly the root cause of my back pain as well. After this I had a PET scan which confirmed they see the cancer in my back.
My treatment starts tomorrow with Chemotherapy, Steroids, Radiation and then calcium infusions once a month. These are to last 4-6 months. If all that goes as planned, they will then refer me to a larger cancer center such as Duke, Emory or MUSC to do a bone marrow transplant/refresh. This from what I understand is done with my own existing marrow being extracted, cleaned and then replanted. I’m assuming its some sort of steam cell therapy deal.
I don’t know what stage it is, I asked yesterday and they said it’s more like a chronic cancer because it starts in our plasma which circulates everywhere throughout your body so there is no way to isolate it.
During one of my trips to my oncologist to have chemo treatment, I began to sweat profusely and the oncologist was concerned with the amount of pain I was experiencing and opted to send me to the hospital to be admitted to get the pain under control. This was 3 weeks ago and I have had some setbacks, which included being in the ICU due to breathing difficulties. I am back on the oncology floor hoping I can go home soon.
I don’t know anything more about the prognosis yet, life expectancy, etc. I just don’t know.
I’m still in shock from it all. I partially can’t believe it is what I have.
One chemo prescription pill is $20,000 - per dose cycle. I may need 4 – 6 dose cycles.
The doctors are upbeat and my wife has been a God send as she is here each morning before work and after work.
Below is Steve's story in his words:
Last fall I hurt my back (thought it was from lifting a mini frig), and was treating it as directed by a physician using NASID (Motrin, Ibuprophen, etc.) thru August and September. End of September I’m not getting any better and after 3 ER visits, 1 Urgent Care visit and god knows how many visits to my primary care provider I hit the ER one last time and they caught me in a stage 4 kidney failure. At this time they thought it was due to the NSAID’s over time. Early October, I was released as my kidneys were getting somewhat better.
Unfortunately my back wasn’t; even after 2 lumbar steroid epidural injections. I was sent home and as I prepared for a family vacation I broke 2 ribs bending over from my office chair. The back doctor referred me to an endocrinologist finally after the pain management and back doctor couldn’t figure out what was happening (this was now early January of this year).
The Endocrinologist finds multiple deficiencies which included but aren’t limited to severe osteoporosis (I’m 42 and male so this is really odd) and low vitamin D, low Testosterone, severely anemic and what looks like possible Celiacs-Sprew disease (gluten intolerance) at this time I start on the meds he prescribes and he referred me to an oncologist.
The oncologist did more blood work and at the time I didn’t show anything else was wrong. They had performed by this time MRI’s on whole body on my back on my head to ensure no pituitary gland tumor, ultrasounds on my thyroid and parathyroid to ensure no issues with them, and CAT scans as well. Everything started seeming to get better, even my back was better at times . What was even better ... I was able to walk without a cane.
Mid-March of this year (2018) things start going downhill, and my upper body/chest is in pain from strain trying to compensate me walking with the bad back. It had gotten to the point that I couldn’t walk unaided, couldn’t catch a breath because of the chest pain and essentially became bed ridden early to mid April. I now use a walker to get around my bedroom and to the bathroom, which is 10 to 15 feet away from the foot of my bed, takes me a good 30 minutes at this point.
So I had a follow up on April 30th with the endocrinologist and he pretty much called it from the blood work and labs but wanted to be sure so sent me back to the oncologist.
At that visit, the oncologist wanted to do a bone marrow test and because its an ordeal and I mean excruciating painful ordeal for me to get to a doctor at all I opted to do it then and there. Follow up appointment is where it was confirmed from the bone marrow test that I indeed have Multiple Myeloma cancer and it is also possibly the root cause of my back pain as well. After this I had a PET scan which confirmed they see the cancer in my back.
My treatment starts tomorrow with Chemotherapy, Steroids, Radiation and then calcium infusions once a month. These are to last 4-6 months. If all that goes as planned, they will then refer me to a larger cancer center such as Duke, Emory or MUSC to do a bone marrow transplant/refresh. This from what I understand is done with my own existing marrow being extracted, cleaned and then replanted. I’m assuming its some sort of steam cell therapy deal.
I don’t know what stage it is, I asked yesterday and they said it’s more like a chronic cancer because it starts in our plasma which circulates everywhere throughout your body so there is no way to isolate it.
During one of my trips to my oncologist to have chemo treatment, I began to sweat profusely and the oncologist was concerned with the amount of pain I was experiencing and opted to send me to the hospital to be admitted to get the pain under control. This was 3 weeks ago and I have had some setbacks, which included being in the ICU due to breathing difficulties. I am back on the oncology floor hoping I can go home soon.
I don’t know anything more about the prognosis yet, life expectancy, etc. I just don’t know.
I’m still in shock from it all. I partially can’t believe it is what I have.
One chemo prescription pill is $20,000 - per dose cycle. I may need 4 – 6 dose cycles.
The doctors are upbeat and my wife has been a God send as she is here each morning before work and after work.
Organizer and beneficiary
Steve Hafner
Organizer
Lexington, SC
Emily Hafner
Beneficiary
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