Crosby Strong: Rally for Craig and Vickie
Donation protected
If you ask anyone that has ever met Craig and Vickie, they would all say the same thing: they’re wonderful.
Married for 41 years, they have raised five children and have since witnessed 8 grandkids come into their life. (They are eager for more but will have to settle for some grand-dogs for the time being.) Craig and Vickie continuously encourage us (the offspring) and their grandkids to be the best versions of ourselves, while loving and accepting us as we are. They are active members of their church, often serving in leadership roles. They share their light, wisdom, love, and friendship with everyone they come in contact with. Through them we have witnessed what it means to be humble, compassionate, forgiving, honest, hardworking and so much more. Both are so freely giving with their most precious commodity, time. If anyone needs anything, they are there for that persons needs without complaint.
After navigating life’s ups and downs together, they have come to what might be the most difficult “down” they have faced to date. Within a matter of weeks BOTH Vickie and Craig were diagnosed with cancer:
Vickie’s journey to diagnosis was difficult. For months she wasn’t feeling quite right, it got to the point that she wasn’t herself anymore. After testing and scans they determined most of her side effects were caused by a buildup of fluid in her abdomen and she soon underwent a procedure to remove it. They drained over TEN LITERS of ascites fluid, an incredible amount. From there, the pathologists confirmed our worst fear. The fluid was cancerous and it was a secondary malignancy; meaning, somewhere in her abdomen there was a tumor(s) or other cancerous cells. From a biopsy and scan results, the best guess was that the cancer was in her ovaries. A surgery was scheduled for January to complete a hysterectomy. During this, her surgeon performed the hysterectomy, removed her spleen and appendix which were caked in cancer cells, and removed a tumor from her omentum about the size of a foot-long sub. Her abdominal cavity was scraped down to remove cancer cells from its walls. A number of other, smaller, tumors were removed as well. Unfortunately, they were not able to remove all of the cancer. Vickie is resilient and has been recovering from this extensive surgery quicker than anticipated.
Moving forward, she will undergo a year of chemotherapy starting this month (February 2019).
Craig’s was discovered while getting his routine blood labs done. His results showed that he had elevated PSA levels. After completing a round of antibiotics his numbers barely dropped and it was decided that he needed to have a biopsy done. The day after Vickie’s surgery, he was told that his biopsy had confirmed that he had late stage prostate cancer. He is currently discovering what his treatment plan will be. He has the option to have surgery or to receive radiation and seed therapy for a few months. He is confident in his care team and knows that they will help him with choosing the best path for treatment and hopefully a cure.
During this extreme ‘down’ in their lives, they continue to present themselves with dignity and grace. They still give their time and love. They are facing this challenge hand-in-hand with faith and hope in their hearts.
We (their family) are so amazed by their strength, and only wish to alleviate as much of the stress and fear as we possibly can. They have been our strength and support for 40 years, it is now our turn to carry and support them on this journey. We are so humbled and grateful for the prayers, kind words, and acts of kindness that have been offered to our family in this trying time. Each are tender mercies.
The donations to this campaign will go towards Vickie and Craig’s current and future medical needs. Financial circumstances being what they are, any and all help is appreciated tremendously. Even if you are unable to donate, please share their story.
Thank you,
The Crosby Family
Married for 41 years, they have raised five children and have since witnessed 8 grandkids come into their life. (They are eager for more but will have to settle for some grand-dogs for the time being.) Craig and Vickie continuously encourage us (the offspring) and their grandkids to be the best versions of ourselves, while loving and accepting us as we are. They are active members of their church, often serving in leadership roles. They share their light, wisdom, love, and friendship with everyone they come in contact with. Through them we have witnessed what it means to be humble, compassionate, forgiving, honest, hardworking and so much more. Both are so freely giving with their most precious commodity, time. If anyone needs anything, they are there for that persons needs without complaint.
After navigating life’s ups and downs together, they have come to what might be the most difficult “down” they have faced to date. Within a matter of weeks BOTH Vickie and Craig were diagnosed with cancer:
Vickie’s journey to diagnosis was difficult. For months she wasn’t feeling quite right, it got to the point that she wasn’t herself anymore. After testing and scans they determined most of her side effects were caused by a buildup of fluid in her abdomen and she soon underwent a procedure to remove it. They drained over TEN LITERS of ascites fluid, an incredible amount. From there, the pathologists confirmed our worst fear. The fluid was cancerous and it was a secondary malignancy; meaning, somewhere in her abdomen there was a tumor(s) or other cancerous cells. From a biopsy and scan results, the best guess was that the cancer was in her ovaries. A surgery was scheduled for January to complete a hysterectomy. During this, her surgeon performed the hysterectomy, removed her spleen and appendix which were caked in cancer cells, and removed a tumor from her omentum about the size of a foot-long sub. Her abdominal cavity was scraped down to remove cancer cells from its walls. A number of other, smaller, tumors were removed as well. Unfortunately, they were not able to remove all of the cancer. Vickie is resilient and has been recovering from this extensive surgery quicker than anticipated.
Moving forward, she will undergo a year of chemotherapy starting this month (February 2019).
Craig’s was discovered while getting his routine blood labs done. His results showed that he had elevated PSA levels. After completing a round of antibiotics his numbers barely dropped and it was decided that he needed to have a biopsy done. The day after Vickie’s surgery, he was told that his biopsy had confirmed that he had late stage prostate cancer. He is currently discovering what his treatment plan will be. He has the option to have surgery or to receive radiation and seed therapy for a few months. He is confident in his care team and knows that they will help him with choosing the best path for treatment and hopefully a cure.
During this extreme ‘down’ in their lives, they continue to present themselves with dignity and grace. They still give their time and love. They are facing this challenge hand-in-hand with faith and hope in their hearts.
We (their family) are so amazed by their strength, and only wish to alleviate as much of the stress and fear as we possibly can. They have been our strength and support for 40 years, it is now our turn to carry and support them on this journey. We are so humbled and grateful for the prayers, kind words, and acts of kindness that have been offered to our family in this trying time. Each are tender mercies.
The donations to this campaign will go towards Vickie and Craig’s current and future medical needs. Financial circumstances being what they are, any and all help is appreciated tremendously. Even if you are unable to donate, please share their story.
Thank you,
The Crosby Family
Organizer
Talya Crosby
Organizer
Salt Lake City, UT