Rob has cancer...again.

Hello,

 

As some of you know, I was diagnosed with cancer five years ago. Luckily it was caught very early and after some chemo and immunotherapy, cancer went into remission and I went on with my life. Since then, I've been closely monitored by a team of doctors at both the Hudson Valley VA and Memorial Sloan Kettering hospital in NYC.

This past June I went for my monthly bloodwork and my markers came back wonky, for lack of a better description. After a battery of tests, there were some lesions discovered in my ribs and spinal column and I was then diagnosed with APL (Acute promyelocytic leukemia). I immediately began three weeks of radiation and immunotherapy that did eliminate the lesions and improved my blood condition. Although my oncologist had hoped we could avoid chemotherapy, it wasn't so. I recently finished just over three weeks of a very low dose of chemo. Unfortunately, it didn't work as hoped. I'm now faced with weeks of far more extensive chemotherapy, a very likely blood transfusion, and possibly a bone marrow transplant. Subsequently, I've been unable to work due to the hours of daily treatments and the fact that said treatments have left my immune system severely compromised. This past Friday (10/22), I met with a new doctor at MSK who confirmed what I've always suspected, which is that she believes that for both of these diseases to present in an otherwise healthy and relatively young person, it is the result of having crossed paths with something during my service that acted as a key to a lock built somewhere in my genes. I cannot articulate why, exactly, but hearing this from a medical professional affected me deeply and very profoundly. 

That is my sob story. Unfortunately, that's where I am, for all intents and purposes, staring down the barrel of a loaded gun. If I'm being honest, if it weren't for my teenage daughter and son, I would forego more treatment and let nature run its course.

If you can help, please do. If you’re comfortable sharing with others, please do. I'd love nothing more than to promise that I will pay back every dime to each of you one day, but I honestly don't know what the future holds. Right now I’m simply trying to get through each day. However, if I make it to the other side of this and get back on my feet again, I certainly will.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Love,

Rob