In Memoriam for Robert Martin

CANCER RETURNS. OUR DAD NEEDS A BREAK

On October 1, 2010, our dad was diagnosed with late stage colon/rectal cancer. He began aggressive treatment immediately. Because the tumors were so large, he was put on a schedule of weekly radiation treatments, and wore a portable chemo pump 24 hours a day from Monday-Friday. These treatments would help shrink the tumor and better prepare him for surgery in late January, 2011. The long surgery would remove a sizable section of his large intestine.

Following surgery, dad got a nice long recovery period and learned how to care and maintain his new way of doing things in every day life. In March, he began a long series of chemo treatments 3 times a week. This would continue through the end of August, 2011, when he was declared cancer free.

Dad was in his 9th year working IT for a large retail chain when the cancer hit him. Because of his seniority and full-time position in the company, he had excellent medical coverage and was able to take nearly 3 months of paid medical leave, eventually returning to his job in June, 2011. All seemed right with the world.

Unfortunately, the company he had worked at all these years were faced with problems of their own and by the end of 2011, began to make serious changes. By the holiday season of 2012, dad had his benefits and hours cut back, along with several other full-time employees, including management. By spring of 2013, his hours and benefits were so greatly reduced, that he had no choice but to apply for social security much earlier than he wanted to, which meant a reduction in his monthly check. To add to his problems, he was working only 10-15 hours per week.

He had to take action. Even though he was in his mid 60s, he was out looking for a job. Either a part-time job to help with what he was making now, or a full-time job. He knew the odds were stacked against him. Sluggish economy, his age, and his pre-existing medical, but he kept at it. Unfortunately, no opportunities presented themselves as 2013 came to a close.

The offer he got from an email and phone call was like a dream come true. He got a job offer he couldn't refuse, but the best part, it was exactly what he wanted. For the next year, everything was going great. Within a few months, he had paid all his bills, including medical costs, and was putting money away and making plans for the future. During all this, he kept his check ups with his cancer team, passed his 3 months, then 6 months, then one year CT scans, with no sign of cancer.

During the holiday season of 2014, dad put in extra hours at work, but we never saw him happier. He was looking forward to Christmas and being able to buy gifts again. Then he started having back pains in mid December. He saw his GP doctor right away and after x-rays were taken, he was told he had some early signs of stenosis and was prescribed a pain medication. This seemed to help for awhile, but as February approached, the pain increased and he started losing weight. His yearly CT scan was still months away, but considering the area where the pain was coming from, he thought he should talk with his oncologist. In late February, a CT scan showed some anomalies, that didn't look good. Extensive blood-work and an MRI confirmed the cancer had returned. Worse, it had spread beyond the location of the primary cancer. For the first time, our dad told us his original cancer was metastatic, but because it was treated aggressively he and his medical team felt it had been stopped in time. It was. Dad lived cancer free over 4 years. Metastatic cancer has no cure at present, but it is treatable with most of today's modern medicine, with remissions lasting 5 years or longer between treatments. For some, there is no reoccurrence.

Dad once again found himself having to take medical leave the final week of February. The pain he was now experiencing daily prevented him from doing the work he loved so much. March was a long series of tests to determine the right treatments.The primary (colon/rectal) cancer had spread to his lungs, liver and two vertebrae on his lower spine. He had 2 surgeries in March and it wasn't until April that a form of treatment was decided upon. Further surgery and radiation were ruled out, and a trial treatment that would use genetic markers to target the cancer cells was started immediately. Although the treatments would only be once a week instead of three times as before, the dosage, toxicity and duration would be much greater and so would be the side effects.

The hardest part for dad this time, is eating. Chemo can make eating a real ordeal. There were periods when he could only get liquids down. He was already on the slender side before the cancer returned, but from March to the end of April, he lost over 30 pounds. Despite all this, he never gave up. Working with his medical team, they finally found a balance, and dad was eating again. He still has a few bad days, but mostly good ones.

He had a goal of returning to work in mid May, and his doctors were in agreement, but there were some setbacks, centered around his chemo port, and the side effects that were causing him a lot of skin issues. He kept pushing though, and on June 6th, he was able to return to work at 20-25 hours a week. In late June, his chemo port, the same one he had implanted in 2011, had to be replaced. Surgery was scheduled.

It was at this time, that we realized dad had something else bothering him beside the cancer. He was having money problems. He was always open about his cancer. He felt no shame in it and often called it a blessing, because it changed him. But he was ashamed of his current financial situation, and refused to talk about it. It was only after counseling and finally opening up that he agreed to seek some help.

What our dad needs, along with your thoughts and prayers, is to get out of this situation of being behind. He had savings when this all started, and figured if he could return to work in May, he would be ok financially, but that didn't happen. Instead, he got behind an entire month with his rent, and many of his bills. His 7 year-old car is paid for, but is in need of servicing, and he's very concerned about that with the approach of winter. He wants only enough to get even and timely with his rent and his bills so he can concentrate on getting better. His treatments end in September.


Thank you all for your support.  Our whole family appreciates any amount of contribution to helping our dad during this difficult time.