Allen Andrews' Cancer Battle and Recovery
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November 2020- A couple of months of stomach discomfort and food intolerance has progressed into a stomach cancer diagnosis for Allen Andrews.
Allen has spent years working with youth through basketball at gyms and parks in several states, coordinating yearly toy and school supply drives through his HOOPS Youth Ministry, speaking at churches to share his testimony, and always reaching out to help others through fundraisers and volunteering. He loves witnessing to others.
This news took us completely by surprise but we are believing God for a miraculous testimony and healing.
Discomfort began around September 2020. Through September and October there were 2 ER visits and 2 visits to the walk in clinic. A regular doctor was set up because Allen, being a picture of health and in the gym 3 times a week before covid, never went to doctors or took medicine. What appeared to be acid reflux turned into a major diagnosis. Allen became unable to eat or drink and was vomiting nonstop by the end of October when he was referred to a GI specialist. He was then referred to an oncologist and hospitalized in early November for 5 days after the mass was found on November 2nd and cancer diagnosed on November 4th. A stent had to be placed to connect his stomach to his small bowel since food was no longer able to pass through normally. The mass is preventing several other organs from working properly. A chemo port has been inserted. We are looking at a 6 to 9 month process of chemo, an operation to remove the stint and mass once it shrinks, then more chemo. Part of his stomach and intestine will also have to be removed. Doctors have worked to buy enough time for the chemo treatments. Allen is also on a special soft diet with multiple restrictions due to the stent.
He has already endured a second hospital stay as of November 13th for almost 4 more days due to sickness and difficulty eating while adjusting to the diagnosis and stint and a third hospital stay in December.
This journey is just beginning at the end of 2020. We have a long road ahead. There are many things that are uncertain right now. Prayers and support are much appreciated. We are overwhelmed by the messages and encouragement, along with the kindness everyone has shown. We are not even sure what to ask for right now but every little bit helps. We will be traveling back and forth to appointments and accumulating doctor bills. Work schedules are also uncertain. Pray for Allen emotionally, physically, and spiritually. Pray for Amanda to be strong through this. Pray for our friends and family who are affected by this news also. We love you all.
February 2021: After chemo treatments and much further testing on other areas of concern, the mass has decreased in size and the other areas were found to not be more cancer. Allen will undergo a whipple procedure in March 2021 followed by a fourth hospital stay. Parts of his stomach and intestine will be removed along with the cancer mass. Everything in his stomach system will be reconnected and there will be a recovery period followed by more chemo as of what we know for now. At first no surgery was even possible so we are thankful for this progress and still looking for a miracle.
March 2022- We have been sharing updates along the way and Allen has made so much progress but he still faces many challenges. Post surgery chemo was completed in summer 2021 after the cancer was removed. He did have to complete radiation in August/September of 2021 due to a high risk of the cancer returning and we thought that radiation would be the end of this battle. We have learned that side effects can lead to so many other issues which is what he is fighting through now. In November 2021, Allen's oncologist stated he is cancer free. However, the stomach pain and trouble eating continued. The radiation caused inflammation which lead to many other issues, including sepsis in December 2021. We spent Christmas in ICU- hospital stay number 7 since this all started. He has been fighting through pain and trouble eating since then. He had to restart liquid TPN nutrition through a pump in February 2022 because he can't hold anything down. We are not sure how long inflammation will last or what is coming. It was determined that Allen cannot return to work at this time as we had hoped, so he had to resign from his job. We do not believe we have come this far for nothing and we are so thankful for the healing, miracles, and blessings already received. We are still praying for strength to return and for Allen to be able to eat and live with less pain and more mobility.
Allen has spent years working with youth through basketball at gyms and parks in several states, coordinating yearly toy and school supply drives through his HOOPS Youth Ministry, speaking at churches to share his testimony, and always reaching out to help others through fundraisers and volunteering. He loves witnessing to others.
This news took us completely by surprise but we are believing God for a miraculous testimony and healing.
Discomfort began around September 2020. Through September and October there were 2 ER visits and 2 visits to the walk in clinic. A regular doctor was set up because Allen, being a picture of health and in the gym 3 times a week before covid, never went to doctors or took medicine. What appeared to be acid reflux turned into a major diagnosis. Allen became unable to eat or drink and was vomiting nonstop by the end of October when he was referred to a GI specialist. He was then referred to an oncologist and hospitalized in early November for 5 days after the mass was found on November 2nd and cancer diagnosed on November 4th. A stent had to be placed to connect his stomach to his small bowel since food was no longer able to pass through normally. The mass is preventing several other organs from working properly. A chemo port has been inserted. We are looking at a 6 to 9 month process of chemo, an operation to remove the stint and mass once it shrinks, then more chemo. Part of his stomach and intestine will also have to be removed. Doctors have worked to buy enough time for the chemo treatments. Allen is also on a special soft diet with multiple restrictions due to the stent.
He has already endured a second hospital stay as of November 13th for almost 4 more days due to sickness and difficulty eating while adjusting to the diagnosis and stint and a third hospital stay in December. This journey is just beginning at the end of 2020. We have a long road ahead. There are many things that are uncertain right now. Prayers and support are much appreciated. We are overwhelmed by the messages and encouragement, along with the kindness everyone has shown. We are not even sure what to ask for right now but every little bit helps. We will be traveling back and forth to appointments and accumulating doctor bills. Work schedules are also uncertain. Pray for Allen emotionally, physically, and spiritually. Pray for Amanda to be strong through this. Pray for our friends and family who are affected by this news also. We love you all.
February 2021: After chemo treatments and much further testing on other areas of concern, the mass has decreased in size and the other areas were found to not be more cancer. Allen will undergo a whipple procedure in March 2021 followed by a fourth hospital stay. Parts of his stomach and intestine will be removed along with the cancer mass. Everything in his stomach system will be reconnected and there will be a recovery period followed by more chemo as of what we know for now. At first no surgery was even possible so we are thankful for this progress and still looking for a miracle.
March 2022- We have been sharing updates along the way and Allen has made so much progress but he still faces many challenges. Post surgery chemo was completed in summer 2021 after the cancer was removed. He did have to complete radiation in August/September of 2021 due to a high risk of the cancer returning and we thought that radiation would be the end of this battle. We have learned that side effects can lead to so many other issues which is what he is fighting through now. In November 2021, Allen's oncologist stated he is cancer free. However, the stomach pain and trouble eating continued. The radiation caused inflammation which lead to many other issues, including sepsis in December 2021. We spent Christmas in ICU- hospital stay number 7 since this all started. He has been fighting through pain and trouble eating since then. He had to restart liquid TPN nutrition through a pump in February 2022 because he can't hold anything down. We are not sure how long inflammation will last or what is coming. It was determined that Allen cannot return to work at this time as we had hoped, so he had to resign from his job. We do not believe we have come this far for nothing and we are so thankful for the healing, miracles, and blessings already received. We are still praying for strength to return and for Allen to be able to eat and live with less pain and more mobility.
Organizer and beneficiary
Amanda Andrews
Organizer
Tarboro, NC
Allen Andrews
Beneficiary