Help Brian and Olivia Overcome Health Challenges

Hi, my name is Brian, and along with my wife Olivia, we have recently endured a very long 2 years. I (Brian) have had 2 hiatal hernia surgeries, each of which failed because of lack of good execution and follow-up care. The second failure caused internal bleeding to the point where my hemoglobin dropped to 5, when it should be at 13-15 for my age. I was told by my doctor that it was normal to feel and look that way (it wasn’t). I was admitted for emergency blood transfusions. Fast forward a few months and found that my last surgery had failed completely. So, 2 failures. We reached out to Mayo Clinic in Minnesota and they accepted me as a patient. After flying there for tests and procedures, it was decided to have my third repair. Mayo Clinic is amazing in every way! They are the best in what they do. My 3rd surgery was on June 24th 2024. It was a success and I did not need my esophagus lengthened nor a feeding tube. I had delayed my surgery so I could work during my busy season to make sure my crew had substantial work during my absence. My busy season is spring, being a landscape designer.

Now, my wife was diagnosed a year and a half ago with stage 1 squamous cell carcinoma in her tongue (never smoked or chewed tobacco). She had it removed. After surgery, she was never given an oncologist and was told to “monitor it”. They insisted we didn’t need her to do CT scans or PET scans. So we trusted the doctors. Fast forward to March of this year. She developed a lump in her neck. Biopsy revealed stage 3 almost 4 cancer in her lymph node. At the same time, they also found cancer on her thyroid. She will undergo a second surgery and treatment for the thyroid after treating this initial oral squamous cell carcinoma. We immediately contacted MD Anderson in Houston, Texas. We flew her down and she underwent rigorous testing for 4 days. It was found she was misdiagnosed originally and now needed to have a neck dissection to remove her lymph nodes and half her thyroid gland. She underwent a 6-hour surgery, which was a success. MD Anderson is amazing! Truly the best. However, she needs to have radiation therapy and chemo in Houston, Texas every day (5 days a week) for 6-8 weeks. So we needed to rent an apartment for her during her stay. We decided family members will stay a week at a time to assist her with anything she needed plus watch after our 3-year-old daughter with her. I will be traveling back and forth from Indiana to Houston as much as I can to be with her. She wants our daughter with her for the first month. It’s so hard being away from her! Rent is outrageous but a necessity for her to get the care she needs. So quick timeline to update the backstory. June 24th I had a 4-hour surgery in Rochester, Minnesota, Olivia had a 6-hour surgery on the 26th in Houston, Texas. We were away from our daughter for 2 weeks during those times. I have eating and lifting restrictions for another 4 weeks. And we leave for Houston again today for radiation mask fitting and several other appointments before her treatment starts in a couple of weeks. The costs are adding up immensely between loss of work, travel expenses, and medical bills. Any help would be greatly appreciated! Please keep our family in your thoughts and prayers during this time of chaos, craziness, and uncertainty. Thank you and God bless!