Update from August 9, 2023
It is with a sad, heartbroken heart that I mention my father passed away just after midnight on Tuesday (yesterday, Aug. 8). He had just been transferred to a hospice facility from the hospital, mere hours beforehand. He was expected to have a steady decline—but instead, it was very quick.
We are grateful to everyone who has shown their love and support for my father, Gary, and our family. Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers in this period of grief we are now in. Any support of any form is greatly appreciated at this time.
[For updates on the eventual funeral and a formal obituary/In Memoriam, please see the Caring Bridge blog for my father.]
Update from July 1 [https://www.caringbridge.org/visit/garygreig/journal/view/id/649fe440a6677c125d4d9994]: My dad’s back in the hospital, thanks to another hypercalcemic episode picked up from a blood test, after my mother was concerned about my dad’s greater-than-normal fatigue/lethargy the last couple days. Very grateful we caught it in time, but…the roller-coaster continues.
Small answer to prayer a week ago: scans from just before the second chemo transfusion showed “air pockets” in the tumor, suggesting early signs of shrinkage. A big answer to prayer, and with great hope the shrinkage increases…
In effect, my father had to go back to the hospital early morning Friday (May 19) due to a couple falls and greater than usual weakness. It turned out his calcium levels spiked again—a common problem with cancers, which (annoyingly) the hopsital didn’t account for when discharging him. He’s now stable, levels coming back to normal, and will stay in the hospital over the week as his numbers stabilize.
Furthermore, as of today/May 22, he is starting his first round of chemotherapy treatment in the hospital. To our annoyance, the inpatient chemo route is more expensive ($10-12,000—I haven’t gotten a final amount yet) and not covered by insurance normally (and they do not allow taking the inpatient immunotherapy drugs for “legal” reasons… I personally can’t understand why). But we are grateful at least for the option and proceeding with it. Praying and hoping the effects are mild, if anything…
Thank you dearly to all of you for your prayers and support, again!
Update on May 12: https://www.caringbridge.org/visit/garygreig/journal/view/id/645ea1946ed8c0b56ed7f7d6
Long and short (from above): my father is managing well under the circumstances at home, while certain challenges remain. We have been setup with a chemo/immunotherapy treatment as of yesterday—waiting to see how the oncologists settle with insurance/financial options. We greatly appreciate your prayers—and are deeply, deeply indebted to many of you who have given financially to my parents in their time of need (and it is deep need). Thank you so kindly again!
====
[May 6, 2023 – original:]
Hello everyone,
It is with great humility that I am writing on behalf of my parents (Gary and Catherine) to ask for some help in this time of difficulty, as my father is now facing a journey with advanced cancer. Many of you seeing this page probably already know my father, Gary, very well from years and decades past. If you know my dad and mom, you’ll know he is especially one of the kindest, pious, and most charismatic out there—a real, genuine care for other people.
We found out last week he was diagnosed with stage 4 squamous cell carcinoma in his right sinus/cheek, which has spread to parts of his jaw and thorax. At this point, the ear-neck-throat oncology team recommended he receive palliative chemotherapy treatment, aimed at stopping the growth…and seeing from there, if God-willing, this works.
My father is a real trooper. He is now living with the growth in the side of his face, while he now receives nutrition through a feeding tube to his stomach as it is no longer safe to swallow and eat. Despite these challenges to his life, he has a strong will to remain squarely in life now. He’s wanting to see whatever options are possible to keep him going as long as Providence determines for his life.
Due to various rough life circumstances, my father hasn’t been on health insurance. He’s now in the process of getting on Medicaid in Florida, but in between—and just beyond that—there are a number of needs that have come up. We are trying to address the following items for my dad and mom, as my dad comes back home hopefully soon while he begins outpatient treatment soon. Namely:
- A second opinion from elsewhere.
- We want to see if the current recommendation from my father’s hospital (U. of FL Shands in Gainesville) is certain. The ENT oncologist who has been working with my father welcomes the suggestion, and making sure for clarity of mind is very much a desideratum.
- If this is worth doing, we are looking into one of the best panels out there—MD Anderson in Houston TX. The consultation process we have been quoted for is $2,400—although the price range they say is anywhere from ~$240 to ~$3,000. (Information on the specific process here: https://www.mdanderson.org/for-physicians/refer-a-patient/second-opinion-pathology.html#:~:text=Attending%20physicians%20may%20request%20the,slides%20prepared%20elsewhere%20is%20%24272)
- We would also like to attempt a third opinion consultation. At the moment we are looking at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville FL. For this we have been quoted with a fee of $890.
- To make sure, I would like to cover at least $3,500 for them.
- Pain/etc. medication, food formula, and home care costs.
- Covering the cost of formula for my dad’s stomach feeding tube.
- We’ve been given price quotes in the range of $300-900 per month. I would like to help tide him over until he gets on Medicaid, which should cover him for this (hopefully by 1-2 months).
- For this I am seeking $1,800 for two months, to tide them over till Medicaid kicks in.
- Periodic, monthly home care checks.
- We’ve been given the following price quotes: $175 for the initial visit, and then $100-130 for each (roughly monthly) visit.
- I would like to help tide him over until he gets on Medicaid, which should cover him for this (hopefully by 1-2 months).
- For this I am seeking $430 for the next 2-3 months, to tide them over till Medicaid kicks in.
- Prescription drugs for pain management.
- The initial cost for the various pain-related drug prescription was $120. The rest we have yet to see and when.
- For now, I would like to raise $300 for the next two months, as a rough estimate.
- Covering the cost of formula for my dad’s stomach feeding tube.
- Initial medical oncology consultation/treatment costs.
- The initial consultation for the medical oncology people (basically for the chemo/immunotherapy treatments) is free for my parents, as residents of Gainesville FL. After that we’ve yet to see, depending when they next want to see my dad and/or when Medicaid kicks in. Of course, the latter would be ideal.
- We don’t know what the costs will be if the former. I will update this page if we need to pay a cost before Medicaid kicks in.
Besides these medical items, my parents’ living situation could use some help, as they are slowly trying to find a permanent place to live. They’ve been in transition, and need somewhere to be long term as my dad goes through this journey. I would like to help make the process easier for them, at least to make sure they do not need to worry about their accommodation and transportation costs the next 2-3 months before they can go to somewhere more permanent. In particular:
- Covering their housing/accommodation for the next 2-3 months.
- Currently my parents have been in a transitional place being in Gainesville FL. Unfortunately this diagnosis and their current situation means they will be here to stay in Gainesville for the long haul. They don’t have permanent housing, and I am trying to help set them up with one in the area.
- For now I would like to cover their expenses at the place they’ve been at for the next 3 months, until they can find and move to a more permanent spot in the area.
- I would like to help them with $6,000, to cover this period.
- Transportation to get around Gainesville.
- Currently my parents don’t have a car. They were able to get around fine walking around the area, occasionally getting an Uber when needed (very European, must say—as a European resident myself). They will need more help to get around. I’m hoping to help them find a car in the next couple months.
- Until then, I’d like to help tide them over for transportation money (Uber/etc.), whenever they need it. So I’m looking to cover them also for the next 2-3 months, at $1,500 (for roughly $500/month).
- Additional possible needs these next few months
- Just to take care of some margin, because we don’t yet know if they will need to cover other costs suddenly, but I would ask (for now) for $3,000 as a cover, just in case.
Hence, these are the figures that are going into the goal I’ve set for $17,000.
This is all still tentative (as of May 5), but I think we can get a lot covered with this. The big contingency will be if/when they will be charged for the actual treatment (we hope in a couple weeks, at least), how they decide to charge us, and if/when Medicaid may kick in by then. I will keep this page posted for things like this.
(I will be running this campaign concurrently with the one on Gofundme—you can find here: https://www.gofundme.com/manage/support-for-gary-greigs-healing-from-cancer)
Thank you very kindly, dear friends. Any support helps, especially financial—but at the least just personal and spiritual support. If you are able and physically close to northern Florida, I would encourage you, as you are able: *please* see my parents, please just visit, whether to talk, to share a meal, just to be there… Regardless of the money, this is the most important thing for them. They could really use the company, whether in-person, or even a phone call or online Zoom/etc. chat. Any kind of support, even if just a prayer, is forever appreciated by us.