Help Gary and Pam Through This Tough Time

We are raising funds for Gary Blake's battle with cancer.

***Update*** Gary has lost his vision. The doctors were hoping it was maybe caused by inflammation from the meds they were giving him to raise his white blood cell count but after MRI testing they determined it to be a progression of his cancer. They have him on massive amounts of steroids and hace paused chemo treatments to do radiation teatments on his brain.

On June 7, 2024, Gary (72) went to a Pulmonologist because he had been having trouble breathing for a while. The doctor sent Gary for a CT scan on the 10th. On June 12, the doctor called Gary and asked him to come back into the office and he said, "I'm sorry I don't have better news, you have cancer". It started out with them thinking he had Renal Cell Carcinoma. There was a tumor on his adrenal gland. This started a whirlwind of tests and scans. During this time, he was progressively getting worse each day. We finally got all the results, and he was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma. On July 17th, Gary had his first chemo treatment.

On August 2, Gary was feeling very weak and had very little strength in his legs. We went to the ER, and they said he was low in magnesium, so they gave him a drip and sent him home. On Saturday, Gary fell and the EMT's were called to help pick him up because we could not get him off the floor ourselves. On Monday, EMT's were called again because he could not move. Gary spent all day Tuesday in his recliner and had to sleep in it Tuesday night because we could not get him to stand up to move him. Wednesday, August 7, Pam called the oncologist and told him what was going on and he said to call EMT's and have Gary taken to the hospital. The EMT's took him to Columbus Hospital.

Being a smaller regional hospital, they could not handle what all was wrong with Gary, so they transferred him to Memorial Herman Hospital in the Houston Medical Center. Again, another round of tests and scans and screenings it was determined that Gary has a mass pressing on the nerves on his spine which is what caused him to lose the use of his legs. The tumor on the adrenals was still the same, it had not responded to the first chemo treatment as was expected. Gary then started to experience eye issues. After a Lumbar Puncture, it was determined that the cancer has spread into his spinal fluid and was entering the brain. They started Gary on a different chemo treatment called "The Red Devil" and did radiation focused on the mass as well as pumping chemo straight into the spine to try to kill the cancer cells in the CS (Cerebrospinal Fluid). He has been in the hospital this whole time and they are saying at least another 2 weeks, maybe a week home and then he'll have to go back to the hospital.

All this time, Gary's wife, Pam (72), has been by his side in the hospital. Hospitals supply the patient with food but not the family and Pam has been having to pay out of pocket for every meal which is not cheap. The 2 of them being on a fixed budget means she has been skipping meals. Family has been taking up snack foods and providing her with meals when possible.

Pam and Gary's 50th anniversary is in March. The doctors have prepared Pam for the fact that her husband might not be around to celebrate their anniversary. We would like to raise funds to help the family with feeding Pam and transportation fees. Pam & Gary live 2.5 hours away from the hospital where all this is taking place. Visitor meals are $10 each so if Pam were to eat every meal it would be $30 per day. Pam has health problems of her own that are also factoring into all of this.