Last fall, my dad injured his back and went in for imaging to figure out what was causing his intense pain. That moment changed everything. 

The scans revealed something none of us expected.   

Lung cancer.

In a strange way that injury may have saved his life. Because without it, we may not have caught the cancer when we did.

Over the next few months, he fought hard through chemo and radiation.  

And he WON. 

By the end of his first cycle of treatment, his tumor had shrunk to almost nothing. They talked about not doing anymore cycles and coming back for scans every 3 months. We were overwhelmed with relief and hope.

But that relief didn’t last long.

During that same appointment, the PET scan also revealed a new, large mass in his colon.  Something that was not there just months before! After more testing and a major surgery to remove it, we received heartbreaking news. 

This cancer is aggressive! Stage IV! It grew quickly and had already penetrated the colon wall.

Next week, he begins another fight —   starting a new round of chemotherapy along with immunotherapy.

If you’ve ever worked with or relied on the VA system, you know how difficult and slow it can sometimes be. Unfortunately, we believe delays may have played a role in how quickly this new cancer progressed.

But we are not giving up hope.

My dad is strong, determined, and ready to fight again. This time, we are exploring every option available and combining traditional treatments with carefully researched alternative therapies to give him the best possible chance.

Since his diagnosis, my dad has been unable to work and is currently on short-term leave. He will soon transition to long-term disability and eventually early retirement. The financial burden, along with the cost of treatments not covered by insurance, is overwhelming.

We are asking for help so that finances do not limit his ability to fight this battle. Every donation will go toward his treatments and the expenses that come with being unable to work.