Bobby is a wonderful husband, father, grandfather, and friend to have. On Sept 13, 2022 he was diagnosed with esophageal cancer. I call it unicorn cancer because he has it in the rarest spot (GI Junction) and the initial tumor was 30 cm(which is huge and rare) and it is not one of the two common cancers of the esophagus, no instead he has small cell cancer of the esophagus which is extremely rare. So I say he has the unicorn of cancers, lol. We were hopeful that with quick treatment of radiation and chemotherapy, he would be able to have an esophagectomy and get rid of the cancer. But even though the initial tumor is basically gone, unfortunately more cancer was found in the celiac access, and they were unable to complete the surgery. So now he is looking at chemo for 5 days every 21 days and immunotherapy every 3 weeks, not to mention the blood transfusions and white cell injections, iv fluids he needs regularly, and the special protein shakes that give him enough calories to keep the weight up, since he can still only able to eat small amounts of soft foods. Bobby is an amazing person and I hate that this is happening to him and our family, and I hate that money is a problem, but unfortunately it is. We have Medicare and it doesn’t cover as much as expected, and we are paying over $600 a month in medical bills for him and for me, as we both have other conditions causing us to be disabled at a fairly young age before adding cancer. We are not made of money and still don’t qualify for most of the “help” offered. We can’t even get food stamps at this point because “we make too much” at about 30,000 a year between the both of us. And we still have a mortgage and car payment like everyone else. Fundraising is the only thing we can think to do to try to stay out of crazy debt the cancer is causing us. Please consider donating to us. We are good people handing a crappy deck of cards, and just need a little support from the good people that are still out there. Sending love and hugs to everyone.
***June update…So everything went smoothly with the port surgery, and they used it all last week for his chemo, and Bobby is very happy with it. Chemo was 5 days, but no real side effects so that was great. He did have to get a white blood cell shot($300!) and he is battling a little cold atm. But all is well. We have a week or so off, with just some appointments to check his bloodwork, before immunotherapy and chemo starting again on the 21st. He was able to meet his newest granddaughter this past week as well, she is 1 and adorable, and has him wrapped around her finger. He has been working, and I just started a part time job too. Things are looking good right now, just a few swallowing issues but that is to be expected. His weight is staying steady, and his mood is improving daily. Prayers are still very much appreciated, this will be a long road, but it’s not as bumpy as it was. 😊 please share this campaign wherever you can.
June 14th… Bobby is having a bad reaction to the white blood cell shot causing him pain in joints and muscles, hopefully the effects wear off soon. He got his blood checked today and his platelets are extremely low, so tomorrow he gets a blood transfusion, which will hopefully make him a bit perkier, he’s been tired and in pain the past week. As always please share our story with anyone you can! Hugs 🤗
June 19th update…On Saturday night Bobby started feeling a weird sensation in his feet, like he was walking on a cloud, we didn’t think much of it. When he woke up Sunday his feet and legs were numb and painful and weak, he couldn’t stand without a lot of support, and his hands and arms were partially numb too. He also had intense pain in his right calf. So we took him the Conway Medical Center ER to be tested for a blood clot. All test were negative, but his red blood cells and platelets were still low so they kept him to do a transfusion and see if that cleared the symptoms. Monday morning the pain in the calf was gone but everything else was the same or worse and his back was causing him extreme pain from being in the hospital bed. They did an MRI of his back that we are still waiting on results of to see if there is anything new going on that would cause the numbness and weakness. As of right now he can not stand on his own and has been given some extra pain meds to help him be comfortable. It’s all a mystery as to why he is experiencing this and we hope and pray he gets some answers and relief tomorrow. I’ve been keeping all of his doctors in the loop so hopefully they will figure it all out soon. I will update again when I know more. Thoughts and Prayers appreciated.
june 21st update….Bobby was released from the hospital yesterday. The results of the MRI showed severe degenerative disk disease and they believe that is causing his numbness. He will be receiving physical therapy at home, hopefully starting tomorrow and they are accessing him to possibly go to Tidelands inpatient physical therapy rehab. He is still numb from the knees down and arms and hands partially numb and very weak. He is more comfortable here at home so we are doing our best to keep him that way. We had a ramp built last night in hopes of getting him to the spine doctor today but he was too weak to transfer to the car. I am looking into transportation to get him there soon. That’s really all we know right now. It is possible that this isn’t his back and it is a side effect of the last chemo treatment but we really have no way of knowing. So getting him PT and keeping him comfortable is where we are at. But the good news is the MRI showed no signs of cancer in his spine so that is a very good thing. We are quite overwhelmed with all that has happened and talking to all the different doctors and getting him what he needs and would appreciate healing prayers sent his way. He just wants to gain some mobility and strength back. We love you all.
june 22nd ….Yesterday around 5ish Bobby had a cardiac arrest at home, we did CPR and the ambulance came and restarted his heart and took him to the hospital, they did what they could but unfortunately his brain wasn’t able to recover and he could not breathe on his own. He passed this morning surrounded by his kids and loved ones. The one thing he would want me to share is that he was beating cancer he did not lose that fight. He died from cardiac events non related as far as we know. He may have had cancer but it was not what killed him or what he wants to be remembered for. He loved you all so much and was loved by so many. He was blessed and will be missed terribly. Feel free to reach out to me if you have questions or just want to talk, if I don’t answer right away just know that I will. I love you and thank you for all of your love and support. We now need money for the remaining doctors bills and memorial expenses, any help is appreciated, but you love and thoughts and stories are priceless, please tag me and Bobby in any “Bobby” stories you post