Dan's Treatment and Recovery Fund

This is a treatment and recovery fund for Dan and Jan Blair, Phil Blair's father and step-mother.  They live in the small town of Joseph, Oregon in the Wallowa mountains of Eastern Oregon.  Dan likes to spend his days taking in nature, fishing for steelhead trout, and spending time with his loving wife Jan.  

In November of 2016, Dan developed a nasty cough and some irritation in his nose.  He was misdiagnosed with an ordinary sinus infection and given flonase.  

Things did not get better.  He went back to the doctor in February with a growth that had developed in his nostril which the doctor diagnosed as irritation from the sinus infection.  The doctor gave him a topical antibiotic for the growth and another antibiotic for the infection.

Dan returnedin March when nothing had cleared up and was given a CT scan which his doctor said looked normal.  

However, when Dan went to an ENT doctor in April he was diagnosed him with squamous cell carcinoma, the most aggresive form of skin cancer.  The cancer had eaten through his septum and into the bone in his upper jaw and regrettably beyond anything the ENT was able to treat.  

This type of cancer is extremely aggressive and the doctor referred him to the first head and neck treatment center that had availability, nearly 8 hours away in Seattle.  He underwent surgery on May 24th that removed his nose, 5 front teeth, the skin and lip underneath his nose, and a portion of his upper jaw.  

The doctors believe his surgery was successful but are awaiting on analysis of portions of bone removed. Unfortunately, during the procedure the doctors were concerned with Dan's lymph nodes and removed them for pathology.

He has a long painful recovery ahead which will require radiation therapy, and depending on the pathology of the lymph nodes chemotherapy.  They had planned to travel to a nearby hospital nearly two hours away in each direction for radiation treatment, five times a week for at least 6 weeks.  Dan's doctor warned the family that he will not be in the condition to endure that much travel and advised that they stay closer to the hospital to his treatments.  

The money raised by this fund will go towards securing a short term rental or hotel for the Blair's to live in while Dan receives his radiation treatments.  After the completion of radiation, Dan will then undergo serious facial reconstruction surgery which will require months of healing.  

This is just the beginning of a very long road to recovery for the Blair's and I know that they would be grateful from the bottom of their hearts for your contribution, kind words, prayers and loving thoughts sent their way.