Help Arthur fight pancreatic cancer!!

December 20, 2024

My name is Jim Morton. On 11/13/2024, my brother Arthur Morton went to the emergency room with stomach pain and was abruptly diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. He and his wife are in need of financial assistance so they can literally keep the lights on AND fight his disease.

I set a very high goal for this fundraiser. I am afraid that is what Arthur and Judy will need to navigate the next 6 months. All donations are appreciated. Arthur has spent his life serving God and helping others and now he needs our help!

Art is an actor, college professor, pastor and coach. (arthurmorton.com) His ability to work has unfortunately been majorly impacted by this debilitating diagnosis.

All donations will be used to pay for insurance premiums, medical expenses, living expenses and moving costs. Judy has been working hard to downsize to allow them to move into more affordable housing. She is still working some but has very little time- Arthur has required around the clock care in this first month since diagnosis.

TREATMENT PLAN: (warning this is graphic-possible trigger alert)

His treatment plan involves Chemotherapy for 2-5 months and then he will need a "Whipple surgery" which is a complicated surgery that involves removing the tumor from the pancreas. It is the only possible cure for pancreatic cancer, and that surgery is only available to about 20% of PC patients- so we are very hopeful for a cure! Arthur is only 58 years old.

Nov 13 diagnosed at ER with PC after turning jaundiced- for the 3-4 weeks prior he was experiencing progressive digestive problems and unable to eat properly.

Dec 6- chemo port and feeding tube surgically implanted

Dec11- first outpatient chemo started.

Dec 13-back in hospital with complications from feeding tube.

Dec 18 PET scan- This scan can detect some cancers and also non-cancerous tumors. Arthur lost 27 lbs in 2 months-MD wants him to fatten up! (ironic since Arthur and I have been trying to lose weight for years -but it’s no joke now) PET scan detects a complete blockage which keeps stomach from emptying-we are pretty sure this has been blocked since initial diagnosis. They are keeping him in the hospital to hydrate him and he will undergo surgery Friday, Dec 20th to provide a temporary fix so he can eat.

People usually follow Whipple with more chemo and/or radiation.

Whipple surgery patients require special digestive enzyme supplements post-surgery usually for life- some are over the counter and some require prescription, and only a few are covered by insurance.

The blessing is that the tumor's location caused problems early on. Often this cancer goes undetected which greatly reduces any chance of a cure.

I appreciate you taking a minute to read my brother's story