Help Support Koua's Cancer Journey

Please help my husband Koua in his fight with esophageal cancer. Koua is a proud veteran who served in the Wisconsin National Guard and completed one tour in Iraq. He currently is a piledriver in local 1847.

Koua had a persistent cough starting in November 2021 and started having trouble keeping food down in December. He was able to eat somewhat but would vomit some food back up. During a visit to the primary care doctor on 01/24, he was diagnosed with acid reflux and told to come back in a month if the medication did not help. While working out of town, Koua began coughing up chunks of blood. He went to urgent care on 02/08/2022 and had an endoscopy completed. They found a mass in his esophagus and performed a biopsy during the procedure. The surgeon called us on 02/14 to let us know the biopsy results revealed there are cancer cells present. We saw the cancer oncologist on 02/23, and she explained that the scans and results of the urgent care visit indicated the cancer was stage 3. The treatment plan would be six weeks of chemo and radiation, then surgery as a last resort to remove the tumor.

Koua was admitted to the hospital on 02/24 to undergo a feeding tube surgery due to his dramatic weight loss and fatigue from not keeping any food or drinks down from the previous weeks. He was discharged from the hospital on 02/28, had an MRI on 03/01, met with the radiation oncologist on 03/02, had a PET scan on 03/03, and met with the cancer oncologist on 03/04.

After reviewing the PET scan results, the cancer oncologist stated the cancer was bigger and worst than initially thought. Instead of stage 3, it is now stage 4. In addition to esophageal cancer, cancer cells are also present in the stomach, liver, lungs, kidneys, and maybe bones. Due to how advanced the cancer is, the treatment plan is now aggressive chemo treatment. The oncologist stressed that his time is finite and he should start thinking about what he wants to do in life. Chemo will help the cancer not spread any further, and it may reduce it and help it go into remission, but it will not cure it.

Funds raised would be used for expenses and help Koua check a few things off of his bucket list with the time he may have left.

You can also send donations directly to Koua through PayPal: koua82x

Thank you!