Colby's Journey

Life can throw us a curve ball that changes everything in the blink of an eye. Colby is an adventurous 24-year-old young man who proves hard work and dedication lead to achieving your dreams.

Suddenly, everything Colby envisioned for his future changed with the devastating diagnosis of the dreaded C-word, Cancer.

In April of 2022, three weeks away from obtaining his commercial helicopter pilot license, Colby was diagnosed with stage 4 metastatic melanoma. Colby was living in Caldwell, Idaho attending Silverhawk Aviation Academy. A simple “knot” developed on his side. After consultation with a physician, removal and biopsy of the knot were scheduled. Days later Colby received a phone call that changed everything. Colby was advised to make plans for the possibility of moving back home to Georgia. A PET scan and MRI of his brain were scheduled to rule out the possibility of the cancer spreading to other parts of his body. Prayerfully we hoped for the cancer to be contained to one area, but soon learned it spread to multiple parts of his body, including his brain, lungs, pancreas, prostate, lymphatic system, and leg muscles.

Colby packed all his things and with his father, Allen, traveled cross-country covering 2500 miles in 44 hours back to Georgia to start treatment and to be surrounded by family and loved ones.

The first method of treatment consisted of dual-immunotherapy drugs received intravenously. In May of 2022, two treatments in, Colby became very sick and spent a week in the hospital. The treatments caused immunotherapy-induced hepatitis and pneumonitis, causing his body to shut down. A decision was made to abort further immunotherapy treatments. A new PET scan and MRI of his brain were obtained after the immunotherapy treatments, revealing new lesions on his brain and adrenal glands. Doctors grew concerned about the brain lesions causing further complications such as bleeding on the brain and seizures.

Next up, gamma knife surgery; direct radiation to the brain. After healing from this procedure, Colby began a pill form of treatment that he takes twice a day. Currently, he is continuing this form of treatment and will have new scans done in September to access progress.

As you can imagine the stress and worry of this diagnosis creates challenges in more ways than one. Financial burdens are one of those challenges. Colby has a student loan he is responsible for each month, and there is no forgiveness for circumstances such as this. With each treatment and month that passes, medical bills continue to arrive that were not expected 6 months ago. We would like to help eliminate this added stress so that Colby can concentrate on more important things.

It has been said that life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react. Colby has the best attitude. Not one day has he felt sorry for himself or walked around in defeat. Colby gets up, makes the best of each day, and utilizes what he has to keep moving forward. You will find him as a horse wrangler/rider on movie sets, shoeing horses, and most recently continuing his education online to pursue his bachelor’s degree. Also, Colby gained a furry companion named “Zero” that he loves and adores. Colby spends a lot of quality time with Zero, and Zero has proven to be an excellent asset to Colby’s mental health. We are grateful for your continued support. Most importantly all the prayers lifted on Colby’s behalf. One of Colby’s favorite quotes, “Don’t curse the darkness, light a candle.”