Andrew Berendt pancreatic cancer

Some of you may and some of you may not know but on March 5, 2020, my father, Andrew Berendt was diagnosed with stage 4, inoperable pancreatic cancer.  My father has been a faithful, full time gospel preacher for the past 37 years.  He has preached for congregations in Woodland Park, Colorado; Bedford, Ohio; Fultondale, Alabama; Grand Junction, Colorado; Waycross, Georgia; Butler, Alabama and now Buckhorn, Mississippi.

Throughout the last few weeks, my father has been seen by oncologists in Tupelo, Mississippi and UAB Medical Center in Birmingham and by an Anticancer Specialist in Orlando, Florida. 

The chemotherapy from the oncologists at UAB and in Tupelo, was not a good fit for him from the start.  In fact, when we went for the 2nd round, the oncologist said it was too risky to do it again which was what my father’s decision was before we even walked into the door.  He experienced many of the typical side effects of the chemo but the worst side effect was diaphragm seizures that would stop him from breathing for 5-10 seconds at a time. This happened every minute or so and lasted for days in a row.  He couldn’t rest and my mother and I couldn’t really either.  The seizures would have intensified with the each chemo treatment making it not a good fit anymore.

A friend of ours recommended a world-renowned doctor that is a cancer specialist in Houston that deals with hard to treat cancers and after watching some of his videos, my father decided to have a consultation with him over the phone.  Based on this doctor’s track record with pancreatic cancer, my dad decided that he wanted to go to Houston and work with this doctor on his cancer treatment plan.

My father has his medical coverage through an organization called Samaritan Ministries.  The way it works is he pays out of pocket and gets reimbursed 2 to 3 months after the bills are submitted.  It’s a medical cost-sharing organization for believers in Christ that strives to “bear one another’s burdens” by sharing their medical needs and individuals come together to cover their medical expenses.  

The reason this is tricky with this cancer facility is they require payment up front, whereas hospitals will bill you.  Even though we are being reimbursed for 100% of the medical expenses (in rare situations it could be 80-90%), we have to pay for this treatment up front.

In preparation for this trip to Texas, God blessed us through family and friends with the initial $43,000 that we need for our initial expenses.  That was supposed to cover us for all of the treatments we need until we get reimbursed.  However, there are some new expenses that have arisen that we were not ready for. 

* $3,000 – pump

- The pump hooks up to his port and allows the iv medication to be administered 24/7.  A new pump was $4,000 but we had an option for a used pump for $3,000.  We chose to get a used pump.

- The reason this is a new expense is because the medication can be given in a pill form or through an iv.  Because my father’s cancer is in the GI track, the doctor was concerned that the pill form would not be assimilated into the blood stream as well as it would through the iv.

* $0.00 – Biopsy Test

- My father needed to have his original biopsy tissue tested further to better understand the genetic mutations in the tumor so that we can have a better strategy on how to attack and kill the cancer cells. 

- This test was originally $5,000 but the staff at the clinic was able to talk with the lab and get them to give us this test for free.

* $4,500 – Cancer Cell Marker Blood Test

- This blood test is used to show the cancer marker numbers

- This blood test was originally $9,000 but the clinic got the rate down to $4,500.

* $314.88 – Draining ascites fluid

- Part of the discomfort and challenge my dad has with breathing and eating is the ascites (accumulation of fluids in the stomach) he is experiencing.  The doctor recommended having his stomach drained.  They were able to successfully drain 6 ½ liters of fluid yesterday but it is already coming back.  So the doctor mentioned having this done as needed.  At this point, we are expecting that to be once a week.

* $975.00 – CT/PET Scan

- The doctor ordered a new CT scan and a PET scan (has never been done before) since his original CT scan is already too old to base our protocol on now.

* $49.29 – Potassium prescription

- We got a call in the middle of the night because his potassium was so low they prescribed some pills and wanted him to get them immediately. 

* $10,000 – Medication prescribed next week

- We don’t know how much this is going to be because it hasn’t been prescribed yet.  The doctor won’t prescribe the drugs until he gets the results from the cancer cell marker blood test next week.  This expense will need to be paid each month.  This expense may be up to $13,000 but could be as low as $7,000.

- The challenge with this expense is as soon as he orders it, we are expected to pay so my father can start the regimen right away.

* $31,043.33 – Total new expenses needed

- We need this amount to cover the sudden costs.

- Our most urgent need is next week (May 1st), we need $18,839.17.

Any way that you can help would be greatly appreciated.  We know that these amounts are large and that we need this money quickly but when you consider that his 1 round of chemo (which we were told would actually not kill the cancer or cure his cancer) cost $98,000, these numbers are very small.

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us through this go fund me page or facebook.  We are happy to answer any questions with you.

We thank you for your consideration.  If you are unable to help financially, we understand and we ask that you please pray for my father and his condition.  More than anything on this earth, we desire the fervent prayers of our fellow brothers and sisters.  They truly carry more power to heal than anything the doctors can prescribe and administer.

Also, we ask that you please share this on social media.  We need to get the word out to as many people as possible.

Thank you,

Heather Gray