38 yr old VS. Non Hodgkin's Lymphoma Fudraiser
Donation protected
INTRO LETTER:
Dear Friends and Supporters,
I am writing to you today with a heavy yet hopeful heart. Many of you know my brother. You may remember him as the high school mascot called “Raider Man” or as that class clown full of witty jokes in the middle of the teacher's lessons that usually got him in trouble. Though secretly the teachers were most likely laughing under their breath all those years ago. Others remember him at parties or events always bringing that fun and energetic spirit. And who can forget that laugh?! He’s always been known to be the life of the party and loved by his many friends and peers. An avid football fan, ESPECIALLY a huge fan of our Jags QB Trevor Lawrence. He is always that crazy one yelling at the TV, coaching the players on what to do as if they can hear him. Yet, no matter how disappointed he would be in a game loss, he NEVER stopped supporting his favorite team. This is exactly what I hope and pray everyone will show my brother once they learn of this news. I hope for ongoing support, love, and encouragement even though there were different moments in this game of life that were disappointing or exciting to those around him. I pray you will lift him up and remind him to never give up and to continue to push him to fight harder and to encourage him that he’s loved by all!
ONLY 37 YEARS OLD:
Most of you that will read this will think, wow he’s so young because a lot of you went to school together. At 37, one doesn’t consider going through something like this to even be in the cards. In fact, most of you are getting married, having families, growing in your career, and traveling. My brother is no different. He was working towards his new career by attending school and making big things and changes happening in his life. Imagine such a huge monkey wrench thrown in the middle of all your plans and unsure of what to do next or what might happen next. You probably immediately look back at everything in your life and laugh at those precious moments with your friends and family. Your thoughts become nostalgic really. Grasping onto those good times, really hoping that your friends and family will be there through this next season of your life.
THE BEGINNING:
Roughly two months ago or so, it began with some minor aches and pains, feeling tired, and headaches. Normal things tied to being an adult and the stresses that come with adulting. My brother started changing his diet in hopes that would do the trick, but things began to escalate rapidly causing multiple doctor visits, and several ER visits. The crazy thing is, that my brother would soon discover what he has, rarely comes with any symptoms at all.
THE SYMPTOMS:
- Night Sweats & Nausea: Started with waking up drenched in cold sweats and feeling extremely nauseous. Even the smallest sip of water prompted an immediate feeling of vomit in his throat.
- Migraines & Vertigo: All day every day vertigo doesn’t stop. On top of the constant spinning, the migraines are debilitating to the point that light, noise, and touch hurt. Basically, everything hurts. As the migraines progressed, so did the pain in his body. He began to feel these weird sensations of tendrils or fingers up and down the back of his head to the base of his skull.
- Fevers & Fire: At times he would feel feverish to the point that he would become a tad delirious. With high fevers, everything feels surreal. But it doesn’t stop there, soon he could feel such pain through his body that he described as fire running through his blood. Imagine feeling fire inside your body and hardly anything helps.
- No Food: As he was trying to navigate what was going on, he had already changed his diet. But the longer this went on the more pain he would be in immediately after eating. I’m talking once he finished his meal, the migraines, vertigo, and pain would begin. This caused immediate nausea to the point that he was only eating a few saltines each day. This ultimately started causing rapid weight loss.
- Sharp Stomach Pains: As he continued to deal with the painful changes happening in his body and multiple visits to the doctor and hospital without any solutions or understanding of what was causing this, the pain in his stomach started. Sharp stabbing stomach Pains didn't seem to go away. This would ultimately cause another ER visit and another cat scan. But this time the scan would be of his stomach, where the previous cat scan and MRI scans were focused on his head. He thought this could be causing his issues of pain after eating.
TESTING 1,2,3:
After experiencing all of those symptoms for two months or more, multiple doctor visits, several ER visits, blood work, cat scans, MRI scans, upper GIs, being told he’s just got migraines and ulcers, the last visit when they did the CAT scan of his stomach is when they finally started to give us SOME answers regarding what’s going on.
DIAGNOSES:
After being admitted into the hospital for about a week and getting the CAT scan of the stomach, multiple tests to rule out as much as possible, and a biopsy on one of the massive swollen lymph nodes in the stomach, on June 19th the doctors have confirmed that my brother has Non-Hodgkin Follicular Lymphoma. A type of cancer that attacks the body's immune system. It’s considered High burden, and Slow growing. Usually, no symptoms for this kind which is odd considering the number of symptoms he has been going through. And unfortunately, there is no cure. This news has shattered our family's world….
WHAT’S NEXT:
Today June 28th, my brother underwent a full PET SCAN to determine what stage this Lymphoma is in and if it’s spread anywhere else other than in his lymphatic system.
HOLDING ONTO HOPE:
Amidst this darkness, there is hope - hope for healing, hope for recovery, hope for a future without cancer. God makes all the impossible POSSIBLE!
HOW TO HELP:
We have started fundraising efforts to help cover the medical expenses that come with fighting this disease. Chemotherapy, radiation, hospital stays - they all add up quickly. We need your support more than ever!
SISTER SALUTATIONS:
My brother is a fighter, but he cannot do this alone. He needs us by his side every step of the way. With your generous donations, we can give him the best possible chance at beating this cancer and coming out on the other side stronger than ever before.
I urge you from the bottom of my heart to consider donating whatever you can to help my brother in his fight against lymphoma. Every dollar counts and will go toward his treatment and care.
Please keep my brother and our family in your thoughts and prayers! And remember that even in life there are different quarters or seasons. It’s all about who you have in your “locker room” surrounding you on your team cheering you on, supporting you, and making sure you NEVER GIVE UP!
Go DDDUUUUVVVVAAAALLLL!
Much Love,
Kira Sikes
Please feel free to reach out to me directly with any questions, comments or concerns.
Fundraising team (2)
Kira Sikes
Organizer
Jacksonville, FL
William Little
Beneficiary
Shannon Gee
Team member