Mike Burns Medical Fund







This is Mike; our dad. He is the most genuine, caring, goofy, and loving man you'll ever meet. In April, 2016, our family received horrifying news; dad has stage 4 prostate cancer which had metastasized and spread to his bones. Our family was devastated, however, dad continued with his constant joking and remained positive, even going as far as using the excuse "but I have cancer!" For the next 4 months dad endured 6 chemotherapy treatments. Partway through chemo, dad started feeling sicker than ever.  He was admitted to the hospital for sepsis, and later, surgery to remove his gallbladder. Due to the gallbladder surgery and high-risk of getting another blood infection, his chemotherapy was put on hold, prolonging the already arduous process. In March, 2017 dad started to finally feel more like himself again. The doctors said his PSA levels were the lowest they'd seen yet, and the metastatic lesions on his bones had gone down substantially. Things were looking up. He began feeling like himself again, grew back his signature goattee, and even grew a head of beautiful, soft hair! He was so excited to show it off and get his first haircut in 25 years! 

Unfortunately, the good health came to an abrupt halt. At the end of May, 2017 dad noticed large blood clots in his urine, paired with painful urination. He was admitted to the hospital for renal failure and spent 2 days there trying to get better. He returned home, but within a few days he started noticing pain while urinating along with blood clots again. He went back to the ER and was admitted. He went through endless tests, 2 scopes into his bladder, and a biopsy of his left kidney. At the end, the doctors decided to put a drain from his kidney to help preserve kidney function. When the results from the biopsy came back our family was floored. The prostate cancer morphed into small cell, prostate cancer which had also spread to his bladder and liver.  The doctors informed us that the cancer is aggressive, and rare. Per doctors urging, he started aggressive chemotherapy the following day. 

Currently, dad is on 2 types of chemotherapy. He goes to treatment 3 days in a row, every 3 weeks. He is prescribed endless medications and still has the drain in his kidney. When all is said and done, dad will have gone through 24 total infusions of chemo. Given the stress of all the health problems, both of our parents remain to be as positive as possible. As my dad continues to go through treatment, with endless doctors appointments and sudden trips to the ER, my mom has had to change her schedule for work and work less hours, and with dad being out of work for the past year, the bills are piling up and the stress has become overwhelming. For the past year, they have been making it work; however, with the new diagnosis it has become too much. $6,000 in hospital bills from last year, plus mortgage, insurance, car payments, and groceries continues to loom over them as they try to remain positive and fight this cancer. With my mom needing to drive my dad to his appointments and sit with him during his chemotherapy, she is constantly rearranging her work schedule and losing hours of work. Although my parents have difficulty asking for financial help, the burden has become overwhelming, and my sister and I want to help alleviate the added stress of the mounting bills. Our family is grateful for any prayers, good vibes, positive thoughts and financial help you can provide. Let's kick this cancers ass!