Help Bill continue cancer treatment

Bill has been battling cancer since December of 2012. On December 26th, 2012, he was diagnosed with advanced colon cancer. The cancer had broken through the colon wall and attached to his stomach. For his initial surgery, he had the entire right side of his colon removed, along with 24 lymph nodes. However, there were complications from this surgery and he required an additional 3  surgeries to address infection of the surgery site, constriction of the connection site, and the fact that his incisions weren't healing. There was no cancer found in the removed lymph nodes, and therefore his doctor decided not to pursue chemo therapy treatment. Once Bill had recovered enough from his four surgeries, he returned to work, having been out of work for around 3 months. He lived in Georgia at the time and is still making payments toward his treatment there. 

In 2015 he decided to move to Oregon to be closer to his kids and grandkids. His doctor in GA informed him that he should get a colonoscopy every three years to make sure the cancer had not returned. Upon moving to Oregon, his sister told him that she didn't agree with his former doctor and convinced him that he needed to get an oncologist ASAP due to our family history with cancer. Bill lost his father to colon cancer, his mother to lung cancer, and his son to brain cancer. He found a new doctor and she scheduled him for a colonoscopy immediately as she also did not agree with his former doctor's recommendation of every three years. It's a good thing he he went in when he did because sure enough, the cancer had returned.  

He was facing another surgery. This time to remove his entire large colon. He went in for this surgery in October of 2016. Complications arose from this surgery as well. The surgery site began to leak, and on October 14, 2016, Bill went septic. He was rushed in for emergency surgery to clean the infected areas. Once that surgery was complete, he was placed in the ICU for monitoring to see if they had saved his life. Luckily for us, they did. He survived the sepsis, but that wasn't the end of his complications. 

He was unable to eat, and quickly fell to 60 - 70 lbs under weight. Due to this, he didn't have the strength he needed for recovery, so the doctors placed a pic line in order for him to receive liquid nutrition so he could put weight back on. His colon was also not functioning as it should, and he was given a temporary ostomy bag. He was released from the hospital, but a few weeks later his pic line became infected and he ended up in the hospital yet again. After dealing with this crisis and being home for another short while, he contracted meningitis, landing him back in the hospital. His recovery was not going well, and his quality of life was declining rapidly.

For the next couple of years he was in and out of the hospital and doctor's offices trying to get a handle on the situation and try to figure out what was wrong. Blood tests indicated high levels of cancer markers, but colonoscopies showed that it wasn't a return of the colon cancer. In the spring of 2018 we got earth shattering news....stage 4 pancreatic cancer. We weren't sure if he was even going to make it to Christmas. A large family gathering was put together in August of 2018 where Bill told the whole family what was going on, and essentially said his goodbyes as he was convinced this was the last time he would ever be a part of a family reunion again. 

In September of 2018 he began chemo therapy. It seemed to be going well, despite the crippling pain he felt and his cracked, swollen legs and feet. But when he went in for his fifth treatment, the doctor refused to allow it, stating that Bill was far too under weight at that time. He had a CT scan which showed the pancreatic tumor had shrank, but a spot on his liver was also shrinking as well. This could very well mean the cancer had spread to his liver too. With this development, and the fact that his local area hospital didn't seem to have the equipment necessary to treat him, he was referred to OHSU, a hospital just over 3 hours away. Bill was planned for more surgeries, but due to the fact that he was still severely under weight, he was eventually admitted to the hospital so they could place him on a feeding tube and monitor his weight gain and try to get his pain under control. After having so many surgeries already, the doctors were hesitant to perform another one of they weren't 100% sure it would be best for him. In the end he ended up not having surgery, but he was sent to a rehab facility so he could continue being monitored and make sure he was ready to go home.

Bill was able to return home in January of 2019, and he was started in an immunosuppressive treatment. This treatment is a miracle for him! His cancer markers have almost completely disappeared, and his quality of life has returned to almost normal. We were ecstatic! At least until we found out his insurance will not cover the treatment, and without the funds to cover it, he will have to end the treatments. This is why we are asking for your help. Bill is a wonderful father, brother, uncle, and all around person. He has been through so much and we don't want to see him slip back into the pain, discomfort, and uncertainties he's dealt with for far too long. Any thing you could do to help would be greatly appreciated. 

Thank You.