Repair a Broken Gear
Donation protected
My name is Daniel. I'm also know as Dr. Gears, one of the writers for The SCP Foundation, and creator of several beloved/feared entities across several works. I am also married with four children, two of whom have autism, and a stay-at-home dad. I have even been known to call myself an author.
In early January of 2020, after sitting on the porch with my wife one evening, I went to use the bathroom. I was horrified to discover I had urinated a great deal of blood. it being late, and wondering if perhaps it had been a reaction to a diet aid I'd been taking, I decided to wait for the morning. When the morning came, it came with more blood, a sharp pain in my side, and a full blood clot along with blood and urine. That was just a tad bit much for me, and so we went to the ER.
We assumed it was perhaps kidney stones, or some kind of infection. The pain was impressively distracting, but began to ease as I passed more clots. They ran a scan, and I waited in a drug-comforted daze to hear the results. Likely kidney stones, maybe some drugs to take, so on.
No. I had cancer, the doctor said. Pretty obviously too.
Days of confusion, appointments, tests. Ones that have not ended yet, truly. However, there are some results. First, there is a 7cm wide mass on my kidney. It's rather horrifying to see on the scan, it's nearly as big at the kidney itself, or at least looked like it to me. There are a lot of options, treatments and the like, but they boil down to a simple path: I need to have my kidney removed, along with the tumor, and swiftly.
In terms of cancers, this isn't the worst outcome. We are blessed with two kidneys, and with me contracting this early, it's likely I will make a full recovery with no loss of function. However, tests are ongoing. I have been steeling myself for the next step of the punch line, some final, divine "gotcha", but no further tumors are as of yet found. I strive to remain cautiously optimistic.
Surgery is hoped to be minimally invasive, and have me returned to full form as soon as possible. However, I will be significantly impaired for at least a few weeks, and depending on further developments, may require ongoing treatments and medications. My wife, our sole breadwinner, has already been called to miss several days of work (blessedly with their approval for the time being) and will likely have more as this process goes forward.
We are a poor household. While not fully destitute, even on good months we are sometimes called to decide what bills can be allowed to slide to pay for others, and to make decisions on what and how much we can eat. Raising a large family is not without its struggles, but we strive to make ends meet.
My great fear is that my illness with break us.
When deciding on getting pizza for dinner requires a quick check of the bank balance and short math, the possibility of medical bills, medications, and the already realized truth of missed income, could be more then enough to put us into a tailspin. Our support is essentially non-existent. We have ourselves, a few well-meaning but similarly strapped friends, and a county that lead the poorest state as the poorest county for several years. Simply, we have nowhere to turn if things go poorly, or even just slightly unexpected.
I am loathe to rely on charity, to publicly display my own inability, but much more is at stake now then simply my own pride.
Any amount, great or small, would aid us. Medical bills, rent, utilities, the various costs of life. Donating would help us through this time of unease and worry, and allow both myself and my family to focus more on healing, and making the changes needed for my ongoing health. Should the worst happen, and some new growth be found, or complications arise, donations will allow us to face these challenges on better footing, instead of needed to decide between electricity or medication.
Forgive me if I have pleaded my case poorly. I have never easily relied on others. I only do so now out of concern for my family. I hope to master this challenge, and use it as a push forward. However I cannot do so alone. I ask for your help, whatever the form.
In early January of 2020, after sitting on the porch with my wife one evening, I went to use the bathroom. I was horrified to discover I had urinated a great deal of blood. it being late, and wondering if perhaps it had been a reaction to a diet aid I'd been taking, I decided to wait for the morning. When the morning came, it came with more blood, a sharp pain in my side, and a full blood clot along with blood and urine. That was just a tad bit much for me, and so we went to the ER.
We assumed it was perhaps kidney stones, or some kind of infection. The pain was impressively distracting, but began to ease as I passed more clots. They ran a scan, and I waited in a drug-comforted daze to hear the results. Likely kidney stones, maybe some drugs to take, so on.
No. I had cancer, the doctor said. Pretty obviously too.
Days of confusion, appointments, tests. Ones that have not ended yet, truly. However, there are some results. First, there is a 7cm wide mass on my kidney. It's rather horrifying to see on the scan, it's nearly as big at the kidney itself, or at least looked like it to me. There are a lot of options, treatments and the like, but they boil down to a simple path: I need to have my kidney removed, along with the tumor, and swiftly.
In terms of cancers, this isn't the worst outcome. We are blessed with two kidneys, and with me contracting this early, it's likely I will make a full recovery with no loss of function. However, tests are ongoing. I have been steeling myself for the next step of the punch line, some final, divine "gotcha", but no further tumors are as of yet found. I strive to remain cautiously optimistic.
Surgery is hoped to be minimally invasive, and have me returned to full form as soon as possible. However, I will be significantly impaired for at least a few weeks, and depending on further developments, may require ongoing treatments and medications. My wife, our sole breadwinner, has already been called to miss several days of work (blessedly with their approval for the time being) and will likely have more as this process goes forward.
We are a poor household. While not fully destitute, even on good months we are sometimes called to decide what bills can be allowed to slide to pay for others, and to make decisions on what and how much we can eat. Raising a large family is not without its struggles, but we strive to make ends meet.
My great fear is that my illness with break us.
When deciding on getting pizza for dinner requires a quick check of the bank balance and short math, the possibility of medical bills, medications, and the already realized truth of missed income, could be more then enough to put us into a tailspin. Our support is essentially non-existent. We have ourselves, a few well-meaning but similarly strapped friends, and a county that lead the poorest state as the poorest county for several years. Simply, we have nowhere to turn if things go poorly, or even just slightly unexpected.
I am loathe to rely on charity, to publicly display my own inability, but much more is at stake now then simply my own pride.
Any amount, great or small, would aid us. Medical bills, rent, utilities, the various costs of life. Donating would help us through this time of unease and worry, and allow both myself and my family to focus more on healing, and making the changes needed for my ongoing health. Should the worst happen, and some new growth be found, or complications arise, donations will allow us to face these challenges on better footing, instead of needed to decide between electricity or medication.
Forgive me if I have pleaded my case poorly. I have never easily relied on others. I only do so now out of concern for my family. I hope to master this challenge, and use it as a push forward. However I cannot do so alone. I ask for your help, whatever the form.
Organizer and beneficiary
Daniel D
Organizer
Adrian, MI
Denise Creamer-Desmet
Beneficiary