In April of 2019 after spending several months traveling for work. Bret received the horrible news that he had the type of throat cancer known as HPV. Bret has been coaching our son in all three sports of football, basketball and baseball the past ten years. Coaching is a passion for him, and it gives him the feeling of giving back to the youth of today’s society. After talking with our surgeon and oncologist- they decided surgery was the best option as the cancer was only on one side of his throat in the tonsil. In July of 2019 after two separate surgeries, they were able to get clear markers for that pesky tumor and when they did a PET scan in December of 2019 the cancer was completely gone. He was still able to coach but many could tell that his voice was not the same as it used to be. However, he wasn’t going to let that stop him from teaching and guiding through coaching. In June of 2022 after over 30 years of service to a company they decided to let him go. This was a total shock to our family. Not only were we going to lose a big part of the income we would lose our health insurance. Bret’s income was the primary income for our family as I worked in the schools so that we would be able to help get our children where they needed to go with sports and activities. In September of 2022 Bret decided to get back into the work force and become an educator in our district. Working with the children is a rewarding choice for him. It would bring in the income to help our family make it for the next few years until he can fully retire. Through the last three years Bret stayed up with all the follow up appointments and scans to sadly find out in December 2022 his cancer had returned. Our family was devasted, but we had good thoughts that we again will fight this cancer. After a few scans and test it was determined that it was close to his carotid artery, and that surgery was not going to be the option. Bret had to take a leave of absence from his work and in January of 2023 he started the Chemotherapy and Radiation treatments. As of today we are at week 4 of a 7-week treatment plan. The only word he can use to describe the feeling of how he feels is his throat burns. “ My throat burns like it’s on fire every day”. “It hurts to laugh, talk and some days even smile”. These are just a few things he says to me. He knows this will be a long fight but we will survive. I know how much his voice means to him and how he misses cheering for Brok and his teammates. He really misses being able to coach our son and helping him grow in the sports he loves. I sat down and opened up just one of the bills and my heart sank. No matter how much we have saved up for that rainy day fund, cancer has no feelings and will wipe it clean out. As the bills start to pile up, even though we have insurance it’s not enough. Cancer treatments and their cost are heartbreaking to a family with only one income. Many have asked on how they can help and this truly is the best way. Thank you for taking the time to read our story, Bret is not not someone who asks for help, he is the one who always gives the help. Thank you and God Bless. Love Brandy B
