24 Hours in the Canyon

Cancer Doesn't Sleep... Why Should We?

Everyone's cancer stories are different.  When I first started raising money for cancer 22 years ago, I didn't have a personal story.  Boy has that changed over the years.  I,ve seen so much loss and suffering, but I've also seen amazing breakthroughs and I know many cancer survivors!  

As for my personal cancer story and an update from last year, I'm a good news first kind of person.  Mom has been on an experimental drug for 1.5 years called Tagrisso that has kept her stage 4 cancer from metastasizing to her brain which is eventually where it likes to end up.  As I mentioned last year, this hasn't come without side effects, but it has saved her from needing other types of treatments which some have far worse side effects.  

Unfortunately, the rest of my news isn't so positive this time around.  After a stint in the hospital and a transitional rehab center a few months ago, mom has decided that she does not want any more hospital visits nor surgeries so we have decided to go with hospice and she is happily living at home.  She's on oxygen full time, managing pain and we have an army of friends that have been bringing meals and doing other house chores.  She's trying to regain enough strength to walk again to be more independent, but that has come with some challenges considering she was supposed to have a femoral bypass surgery in April that she just can't go through at this point. We are hopeful that she can regain some weight and some strength over the coming months.

Last year, you might remember that my brother was in remission from his thyroid cancer in 2020.  He was cooking along, going to his endocrinologist every 3 months to be sure his thyroid was regulated when suddenly the bloodwork alarmed the endocrinologist enough to send Tank back to the oncologist for scans.  After scans and a lymph biopsy, it's been confirmed that Tank's cancer has metastasized to stage 4.  It's in the lymph, but it has been less clear where else it is so far.  In January, he went on chemo and was very sick for 3 months straight starting with the flu, an unidentified virus and HLH (hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis).  He simply cannot live with the side effects from the chemo.  For now, he's feeling better, back at work, going fishing and most recently recovering from HLH caused from the chemo.  

Fortunately, after 15 months without a car, I bought one in January right when all of this started happening and already put 6000 miles on it going back and forth to Longview.  As anyone who has been with loved ones through health problems, there’s a lot to navigate with the health care system, researching what type of care and which companies are good/bad, missing time from work and being sure your affairs are in order.  We have been so fortunate to have so much support.

All that said, will you please consider donating to my annual fundraiser for people going through cancer treatment and survivors who need access to services that help their over health and wellbeing, their hygiene and overall outlook on life. 

My team has set a goal of $50,000.  We have been the top fundraisers for the last 2 years at this event and hope to blow through the amounts from our previous records that we keep setting.  

100% of the funds raised from this event fund a FREE Cancer Survivorship Center where adults have access to programs & activities specifically designed to help them during and after their treatment.  There really is no other place like it in the US.  You can learn more about their Center HERE.

In order for this Center to remain FREE to Cancer Survivors, I need your help.  PLEASE make a tax-deductible donation on my page today so that Cancer Survivors have access to all that they need.