Help KJ beat cancer

About a month ago, my sister Carolynn's husband, my brother-in-law Kendrix "KJ" Jones, had "the flu," or so we thought. Fast forward to this morning, as I drove away from our first appointment at Moffitt Cancer Center, my head and heart hurt. I quickly reminded myself that strength, love, and positivity must carry us all during this new reality we are now forced to deal with.

This assumed flu landed him in the emergency room a few weeks ago, only to learn that this was not the flu. Instead, doctors would discover a large mass, estimated to be the size of a baseball obstructing his bowels. I remember being at their house, changing Micah's diaper (whose one-year birthday party was just days away). My mother would enter the room as my sister nervously reported from the ER via phone that they had discovered a mass. I froze. The following steps were to attempt an emergency surgery to remove this mass. Unfortunately, upon opening KJ up, they found that they had to remove seven liters of blockage that would have killed him within a matter of weeks. This baseball tumor was the size of an orange and had burst out of the walls of the large colon and had attached to other organs, including the pancreas. They had to perform a colostomy (an operation that opens the colon or large intestine through the abdomen). Due to the size and complexity of this tumor, we were then referred to a cancer specialist as it was far too dangerous to attempt to remove. We were then told what we were all dreading. This was colorectal (colon) cancer, and it was probably relatively advanced based on the size of the tumor and the impact it was potentially causing to nearby organs.

My sister and brother-in-law have three children. Isaiah is nine, Major is three, and my little Micah, our newest little love, just turned one. As we all begin this journey together, I am sitting here constantly wondering how I can help ease some of the fear, the pain, the burdens that Carolynn and KJ are now facing. The medical bills from the emergency room alone will be astronomical as we encountered emergency surgery and an eight-day unexpected hospital stay. The medical expenses will continue to grow, and at a time like this, I'd like to think that KJ should be able to focus on his health, not all of the bills piling up. Although insurance will aid in cost, it does not cover all expenses such as therapies, medications, treatments, home care, equipment, supplies etc. He will need to not even think about working for quite some time. His wife is trying to figure out how to balance raising their three young children tending to KJ while attempting to run her own business during this incredibly challenging time for the family.

We all have a long road ahead of us. After meeting with an excellent oncologist this morning, we must wait for four weeks (as his body heals) to begin a very aggressive form of chemotherapy to attempt to shrink this tumor down to eventually reattempt surgery to remove the T4 lesion obstructing his colon. More information will come as further testing occurs.

As it stands, we have love, faith, hope and each other. We are grateful to have so many beautiful people in our lives who have stepped up to assist with things that have helped out tremendously.

We hope that sharing the story of something like this happening to a man that is 40 years young will inspire others to realize that food is medicine, preventative care is essential, and that we all need to schedule a colonoscopy.

Your help, regardless of the amount, is critical and profoundly appreciated by us all. Thank you for taking the time to read this. Thank you for your gesture of love and support for our family. Thank you for your generosity and genuine care from the bottom of my heart. All funds raised will help supplement the loss of K.J.'s income into 2023 and mounting medical expenses. They have already proactively begun liquidating assets to prepare for this long road ahead. Thank you again.

"I am not afraid of storms, for I am learning how to sail my ship." -Louisa May Alcott

Lovingly,

Amy Jean Smith

Nanny, Big Sister, Support Crew