Fighting With the Fergusons

Nathan and Cassie were like any young family raising kids, going to work, dinner parties, soccer games, and grocery shopping until they had the rug pulled out from under their feet and when they heard the word Cancer.

                In March of 2016,  Nathan started having stomach pains, gas problems, was not able to eat properly and was feeling quite ill. The doctor believed he had a stomach ulcer and so Nathan began taking medication for an ulcer, which continued on for a couple of months. By June 2016 things started to get worse, Nathan was experiencing extreme bloat and fatigue, and had lost quite a bit of weight, we were starting to feel very concerned. An appointment was booked with his family doctor who then sent him for a CT scan. The results came in the next day and the doctor told Nathan he had a very large tumor and that she believed it to be cancer and she referred him to an oncologist.

                Nathan then met with the oncologist, who reviewed his results and said he believes what he has to be Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, Stage 4. Since this appointment, Nathan has been through a series of tests, hospital visits and a lot of discomfort with many unanswered questions. He has had a biopsy done which left him in pain and unable to get out of bed or move around without assistance for about 48 hours. Next come the bone marrow aspiration which Nathan is very nervous about. Nathan’s oncologist is very optimistic about a recovery, but he is still looking at 6-8 months of chemotherapy.

 The stress from everything alone has caused Nathan to have panic attacks almost daily, and he worries he will not be around for his family and to see his kids grow up. He is worried about missing time spent with them from all of these undergoing treatments. Nathan is a wonderful father who wants nothing more than to spend time with his kids and to make sure they have everything they need. 

            Nathan is of course off work while he takes on his new job of battling cancer.  Cassie isn’t working, as she had planned to return to school in September for nursing and she is unsure of whether she can maintain employment while caring for Nathan and the kids. Cassie is also wanting to spend as much time supporting Nathan especially with the panic attacks going on. She is also having taking the role of the main caregiver for the kids because Nathan really needs to focus on his rest and keeping stress to a minimum.

The last month the entire family has been waiting for answers, with no treatment. Nathan’s health is up and down each day depending on his anxiety. We are trying to eliminate some of the stress that this family is facing by raising some money to be able to help with medications, gas money, food for the family, and basic living costs. They will need help for at least a few months until the treatment is underway and so that Cassie can focus on Nathan; taking him to and from these appointments. The Doctor is confident that this will be treatable, but anyone who has undergone or witnessed chemotherapy knows it is not an easy road. I would like us to raise as much money as possible to take away any financial worry this family may have. Nathan and Cassie are positive and strong, but like anyone in that situation could use a little help from their friends and family. Thank you so much to everyone for all of your support in helping us to save Nathan’s life, we will be forever grateful.