Help Bill Starkey fight esophageal cancer!

Hi, my name is Julie Starkey , Bill's daughter and I am fundraising for him during this difficult time while he battles Esophageal Cancer . He received his diagnosis in April 2023 and has undergone multiple rounds of chemotherapy and radiation at Mount Carmel hospital and has more to complete along with surgery. With multiple hospitalizations and chemotherapy side effects, Bill is a fighter. The funds will go directly to medical bills and living expenses. Thank you for all the support and help we appreciate it all.

In late March it became very difficult for my dad to eat pretty quickly. We went to Texas Roadhouse and he ordered at salad. Anyone knows my dad knows he's a meat and potatoes guy. I asked him to seek medical attention. My dad saw a doctor and they told him maybe an ulcer. In early April he left Texas to check on his home on Ohio. There he saw his old medical provider. She arranged for my dad to see a specialist before he was to head back to Texas. That's when the specialist had discovered after some tests that he had esophageal cancer. It was definitely a surprise. My dad got to the point where he stopped eating and he was immediately admitted into Mount Carmel East for malnutrition. They put a j-tube in and after several weeks he was strong enough to go home. He was home for a couple of days and had to go back to the hospital. He had an infection that was leading to septic shock. It was very scary and he was in a lot of pain. My dad has been in and out of the hospital several times these past weeks due to the j-tube and chemo making him so sick. Next week he will be going under for a j-tube replacement.

Medical Plan: Zangmeister Cancer doctors are doing several weeks of radiation and chemo followed by surgery.

I know my dad is strong. It is so difficult to see him so weak. My dad has had to slow down alot. I know it is very difficult for him to not be outside doing something. I can't wait for him to beat this and be back home.

I will say this there was a reason my dad had to go to Ohio and thankfully he did. He is in the best place for treatment of esophageal cancer. Where we currently live isn't the best area for treatment.

I want to thank my uncle Gary and Linda for allowing my dad to stay in their home. I want to thank my aunt Joyce for being there from Michigan to help take care of him and answer questions while he is out of the hospital. I want to thank my grandmother who tries to keep him fed or waits for him to ask for something because she loves to cook. My dad has only been able to eat a couple of things and its just a few bites. I can't imagine the pain she has seeing her son like this. She is truly a fighter and in her mid 90's! Thank you Tracy for being such a great friend to my dad. Sitting with him to try to give him some type of normalcy. There are so many more who have helped and I'm very thankful.

If you have any questions please reach out. I will try to keep everyone updated.