Cancer Sucks - Rally for Tony Kohlbeck!

To our friends, family, and loved ones – hello!

My name is Amy, and I have launched this effort of support on behalf of my twin sister Amanda and my brother in-law Tony Kohlbeck. Tony was diagnosed with Stage 3 Esophageal Cancer on August 19th at the young age of 39. We were all surprised by this diagnosis since Tony is a healthy guy; he doesn’t smoke, rarely drinks, and has been an avid runner the majority of his life. No one ever expects something like this to hit close to home. Amanda and Tony met as teenagers and celebrated their 14 year wedding anniversary this past September! They have a young daughter, Olivia (9), who is their pride and joy – and also the primary focus for their future and fight for this Cancer Battle.

Tony began chemo/radiation on Monday, September 19th and was scheduled to get chemo every Monday, and concurrent radiation Monday-Friday for 5 ½ weeks. The doctors anticipated his chemo/radiation would be an easy process for him; however, it was far from easy! His first week of treatment went relatively well. On week 2 of treatment, Tony had a severe reaction to the chemotherapy drug that required strong doses of antihistamines and steroids to reverse the reaction. On week 3, he had another severe reaction to the chemotherapy treatment which required an end to that chemotherapy drug. During weeks 4-6 he was on a different chemotherapy drug, and while it agreed with his body better, he was consistently sick for 3 weeks. He finished his radiation and chemo treatments on October 26th. Following treatment Tony went in for a routine PET Scan to verify the cancer had not spread, unfortunately from the aggressive radiation, he remained extremely inflamed and the Doctors were unable to get a clear picture of what the prognosis looks like moving into surgery. As such, the surgery and next steps have been delayed.

As of December 1st, Tony still struggles to eat and drink, and is constantly fighting the fatigue and pain from the treatments – despite being over 5 weeks post-treatment. Tony is scheduled for Surgery on January 4th, 2023 (this was previously expected to be done prior to the Holidays). Tony will endure a 7 hour procedure to remove the lower part of his esophagus and part of his stomach. He will remain in the hospital for 9-14 days, recovering and learning to eat and drink again. Because of the aggressive nature to this type of surgery, Tony could be out of work for 12 weeks following surgery to recover. This is where we humbly ask for your help! Tony has a long road ahead of him and your generosity, positive thoughts, and prayers are appreciated. Any donations made will go towards medical expenses/bills, gas money to and from hospital and therapy, and any other financial burden that comes with being out of work at the age of 39 while trying to raise a family.

#CancerSucks