Support Steve's cancer battle

Steve's Story 2017
In February 2017 after several months of weight loss and severe difficulty in swallowing and eating any type of food Steve underwent a range of medical tests which eventually diagnosed Oesophagus Cancer.

The overwhelming emotion and shock associated with such a diagnosis threw our life as we knew it into total turmoil.

Following a wirlwind of emotions and further specialist medical testing ,his cancer was diagnosed as inoperable and was at advanced stage 3 with the cancer spreading to 2 lymph nodes and appearing in another region close to the oesophagus near his heart.

Everything happened so quickly and our lives became consumed with doctors, tests and hospital visits that filled us with a complete sense of uncertainty and apprehension.

In mid February oncologists informed us that Steve required immediate and aggressive chemo radiation treatment and would require a feeding tube to be surgacily inserted into his stomach to enable him to receive nutrition and food via a pump.

The tumour in his oesophagus had become so large that it had blocked his entire oesophagus and he couldn't eat anything at all.

The feeding tube was a life saving surgery for Steve in the sense that without it he cannot tolerate any food orally, and the feeding tube is the only way he can gain the valuable nutrition required to survive the treatment.

In March an aggressive treatment regime commenced. 30 rounds of radiation treatment combined with high dose chemotherapy for 13 weeks.

Steve undergoes high dose radiation treatment 5 days a week and is on a range of associated painkillers to assist with his pain management and side effects from treatment.

His treatment requires daily trips to the Alfred Hospital for radiation treatment,  appointments with the oncologists and chemotherapy.

The treatment is taking a severe toll on Steve and has impacted his health and personal life in so many ways.

Steve was a very fit and active man who worked hard operating his own landscape construction business for the past 23 years.

Since treatment has commenced Steve has been unable to work and his health and weight has deteriated rapidly. As a result of the treatment Steve has become very fatigued and suffers numerous side effects that impact his daily life.

Steve's loss of independence, ailing health and sense of providing financially for his family has impacted him deeply and caused him a great deal of stress.

His form of stage 3 oesophagus cancer and the location of the primary tumour is extremely rare, and cases such as Steve's where the tumour is inoperable have a poor overall prognosis.

Unfortunately due to the fact that his tumour cannot be operated on we are completely reliant on this treatment to fight the aggressive cancer as there is no other alternative available to him.

We are now almost halfway into radiation treatment and have many many long months ahead filled with uncertainty and emotional strain. We are maintaining a positive approach to treatment but appreciate the gravity of the disease and what it can do.

Due to the fact that Steve has had to wind down his business and has been unable to work in any form, another stress has come to the forefront.

Financially things have become extremely strained and added further pressure to an already stressful and uncertain period.

Unfortunately it has become difficult managing time and work commitments for myself given the commitment required to get Steve into hospital each and every day for his treatment.

Friends and family have been of great assistance in this regard, however the overwhelming financial burden of this situation is now starting to impact our lives on a daily basis.

Steve is a resilient and proud man who has always worked extremely hard in a trade he loves. The prospect of him never returning to his trade and business is something that has effected Steve greatly and caused him much sadness.

We still have many out of pocket expenses relating to other expensive medications and medical accessories that we require to assist Steve whilst undergoing this aggressive treatment.

On top of these out of pocket medical expenses, daily financial considerations ie: household bills, mortgage payments etc are still required.

At present I am Steve's primary carer and still trying to juggle my own work commitments as best I can. Obviously my priority is to assist Steve in every way possible whilst still attempting to maintain the financial side of maintaining our home and associated bills.

Steve has a beautiful young son Daniel and is a loving stepfather to my own daughter Sarah. We are a typical family living in suburban Melbourne who have always attempted to build a comfortable life through working hard and making the most of every opportunity.

Steve is deeply saddened about his overall predicament at present and misses the activities that he used to enjoy so much. Steve enjoyed the outdoors and was an avid camper and fisherman.

Sadly we are now confronted with a life changing situation that has engulfed our world and filled Steve with uncertainty and a genuine fear for the future as a whole.

We are not seeking charity in any way as that's not the type of people we are. We are just reaching a situation that is causing genuine financial concern.

Any assistance would be deeply appreciated and would go such a long way to easing the burden and strain we are currently experiencing.

Our priority is Steve's health and enabling him to go through treatment without encountering any further external stresses.

To all our friends and family we thank you so much for the support and care you have all shown throughout this period, and I know how much this has meant to Steve personally.

Steve's ultimate goal is to get through this terrible treatment and attempt to experience a quality filled life making memories with those close to him that will last forever.

Any assistance that could be offered, no matter how small will go along way to assisting us all and in particular allow Steve to focus on his health which is our ultimate priority.

We thank you for taking the time to read our story.

There are only approximately 1350 cases of oesophagus cancer diagnosed in Australia each year. Of these less than 95 have the type, stage and location of tumour that Steve has, therefore it is seen as a rare cancer.

This type of cancer is extremely rare in people aged under 65.

The 3 year survival rate for oesophagus cancer is currently less than 30% and the overall prognosis has not improved greatly over the years with a 5 year survival rate of less than 15% .

Please support the Cancer Council of Victoria by liking their Facebook page.

With thanks and much appreciation,

Andrea, Steve, Sarah & Daniel
Mooroolbark 3138 Victoria