Support Caleb's Fight Against Stage 4 colon and liver Cancer

My name is Caleb, I am a 37 year old disabled veteran that has recently been diagnosed with stage 4 colorectal and liver cancer. I love the outdoors and working with horses. I never thought in a million years I would end up with stage 4 cancer let alone at such a young age. Here is my cancer story so far.

anything you could possibly help with would be greatly appreciated and mean more than words can describe. I am trying to raise funds for medical expenses as well as gas due to the cancer center being an hour away. I am also trying to raise funds for cost of supplies and food due to being on a strict full liquid diet for the foreseeable future.

thank you everyone.

8/3

For about 3 months I was struggling with throwing everything up that I ate or drank, I was super constipated and it was causing extreme pain in my abdomen. The drs thought it was from the wegovy injection so we stopped those.

About 3-4 weeks ago now, I started noticing a lot of blood when I had a bowel movement so I went back to my dr who then started treating me for a partial bowel obstruction (thinking I had really hard stool stuck in my intestine).

Monday July 29th I couldn’t take it anymore and went to the VA and they did a CT scan and found multiple abscesses and a 10cm tumor on my liver and shipped me to borgess in Kzoo. Well I was admitted.

So they did an upper and lower GI scope on me and during the colonoscopy they found a massive tumor on my rectum that was causing the blockage which came back as cancer.

So, after multiple tests and images they believe that the rectal cancer spread to my liver. Over half of my liver is nothing but dead tissue. I had a liver biopsy yesterday. They do believe that it is cancer. If it is then that will put me at stage 4 rectal and liver cancer.

I know I can beat this. I know I can.

It will be a long road but so far with the love and support of everyone, especially my parents. I will be able to keep going.

I start radiation or chemo (don’t know what one first yet) this coming week so they can try to shrink the massive tumor from my rectum.

Thank you to everyone

Update: 8/7

I had an appointment with my oncology Dr today and the results for the liver biopsies came back as both being malignant. I do have stage 4 colorectal and liver cancer.

They were going to start me on radiation this coming Friday but because I am stage 4 the Dr said that the only thing they can do at this current time is chemo due to how massive the tumors are in my rectum (4.5”-5”) and the biggest one on my liver that is 7”x5.66”. They are hoping to be able to shrink the tumors down to a small enough size where surgery is able to be performed.

It’s not easy to get news like this at any age, it’s not easy to get it at 37 years old. The one thing I do have going for me is my age she said. I won’t get into details about the survival rate and all of that because it’s pretty hard to talk about.

All I can say is thank you so much for all of the love and support you all have shown me since I told everyone about my diagnosis. I will be off work for quite some time to try to beat this thing. Actually, there is no trying. I WILL BEAT THIS!

Some days will be harder than others and some days I will want to give up. But I just think about Job from the Bible and how everything was taken from him but he never lost his faith. And that’s what I have, faith that God will direct the Drs to heal me so I can continue to be the loving, adorable annoying Caleb that you all know and love.

Please keep me and my family in your thoughts and prayers as we continue to go forward and kick cancers butt.

Update 8/8

Tomorrow I go back to the interventional radiation clinic and have a simulation scan where they get me all set up for 5 aggressive radiation treatments. On 8/14 I will start my first of 5 treatments before chemo starts the following week.

Update 8/12:

So the surgeon said that the radiation is only to try to alleviate some of the symptoms of the cancer and that's why it's only 5 treatments. He said that talking to the oncology drs they are not trying to cure the cancer but to control it. I asked about radiation for the liver and his face expression said it all before he said there is no point in radiation or surgery on the liver or surgery for the rectum cancer. He has hope and faith that the chemo will shrink it.

They will be having me meet with a palliative dr to help me get comfortable after I start chemo.

Once again, thank you to everyone that has been by my side to support me during this very very difficult time. The amount of love shown has meant more than words could ever show.

update:

10/24

tomorrow on the 25th I have a CT scan to see the progression or to see if the chemo is working to STOP the progression of the cancer.

I have gone through 4 chemo sessions and have my 5th one coming up.

im not gonna lie, the amount of pain I have gone through and that I am in is unbearable and I legit would not wish this pain on anyone. The palliative care Dr has put me

on morphine and gabapentin to help and it does to a point.

I just want to say thank you to everyone who has donated and just reached out to me. I will update more when I find out the results of the CT scans.

Update 10/30:

Scans came back and they were positive, I will still have to be on chemo the rest of my life. The oncologist stated that the she does not believe any of the tumors will shrink enough to be removed surgically.

However, the largest tumor I had on the right lobe of my liver was 17.5cm x 14cm. That one shrink to 12.5cm x 11.9cm. So the chemo did shrink the tumors.

They found a couple nodules in my left lung I believe it was. They are too small to make a determination on what it is so they will be keeping an eye on it. As of right now that is the update I have.

Thank you once again for all of the love and support.

#MyCancerStoryandSurvival

#kickingcancersgluteusmaxus

#cancersucks