Ray Gooden’s medical expenses

5/25 6:00pm UPDATE: This week has been quite sleepless and painful.

Ray’s post-op check with the surgeon was today. He was alleviated of some of what was causing the most pain. (Yay!) Regarding the surgery process, Dr. Soares explained that a portion of the prostate that had cancer was on a side that was attached to other tissue (vs. only within the prostate itself). He had more blood work to check that the kidneys are functioning well. He will speak to the surgeon next week again. The end of July will be his first big round of follow-up testing -praying for cancer to be GONE!

He now focuses on recovery; slowly returning to daily functions and tasks over the next month. He will begin physical therapy, as well.

Thank you for all of the encouragement you’ve sent: meals, financial support, phone calls, visits, and happy mail and texts!

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5/21 11:30am UPDATE: Lots of ups and downs through the recovery process. Yesterday afternoon was spent in the ER with some minor complications. Staying on top of pain management and keeping his spirits up are the focus for today. We will hopefully know more about labs on Thursday.

5/19 8:30am UPDATE: Ray’s kidney function finally trended upwards yesterday afternoon and the doctor felt confident enough to discharge him…HE IS HOME!! It’s been a whirlwind! We were unprepared for that decision, but having him home is worth all the teamwork it’s taking to figure out a system at the house. Prayers and good vibes for pain management, to catch up on sleep, and for his “nurse” to remember how to do all the things correctly :)

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5/18 11:00am. UPDATE: Not much sleep last night. But, the dizziness and vomiting have subsided and his smile has started to make an appearance from time to time. :) He is working on standing and enduring the pain of the Foley. The main concern today is his kidney function. The first two tests have shown a continued decline. They doubled his IV fluids and we are waiting on his third round of test results. He is currently eating his first few bites of food and is catching up on the news and the sports. He is aware of your messages and support. He’s very overwhelmed with gratitude that so many would send love!

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5/17 8:30pm UPDATE: Surgery lasted four hours. Everything went smoothly.!!! The prostate and connective tissue were sent to the lab for further testing. Pain management was handled early on this afternoon (Prayers it remains tolerable.) He has been sick, but working through the hard effects of anesthesia through the evening. Hoping he can get some rest soon . His care team has been wonderful!

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Thank you to so many who have reached out wanting to donate to ease the burden of finances through Ray’s treatment.

It’s never easy seeing the ones you love the most battle.

He is amazing!

He is hopeful.

But this is hard.

His story in his own words:

I wanted to get a little note about what’s happening with me and my health.

Shortly after I left NIU I was diagnosed with prostate cancer. For sure not the thing you want to hear at anytime, but especially when you lose you health insurance. Thankfully earlier through routine bloodwork my doctors noticed that my PSA level was higher than normal. At the end of November a biopsy revealed cancer in four out of 30 samples. They said the stage is two with a high probability of it being treatable.

Today (May 17) I will have surgery to hopefully remove my prostate and the cancerous area. I am praying for all to go well.

If you got a moment to throw a prayer out for this dude I would appreciate it.

If you are a guy within sight of this note and you are around my age, please get your PSA checked. So many fellas get this and the earlier the better to treat it.

We may never fully understand why things happen, but for things we can control all we can do is our best.

This message is to help me pray and get you (especially fellas) informed.

Praying for positive vibes..