Update-Support Chris Dowdy's Fight Against Cancer

Update 8/1/2024

From Sammy, Chris's wife:

Just wanted to let you know that so far Chris’s radiation treatment is going well. He has been feeling dizzy and tired and got nauseous so they prescribed him a steroids for the swelling headaches and tiredness and that seems to have helped. We meet with the doctor every Tuesday and yesterday the doctor said everything is on track with the treatment so that’s definitely promising news, his last day of radiation treatment should be September 4 unless for some reason, the machine is down or needs to be updated then they will add another session. We are moving to Martinsburg on August 16. We finally got approved for a place but we still need to come up with the first months rent and security deposit before the 16th. We did get Medicaid and food stamps so that is definitely helped with purchasing prescriptions and food for the house, but we are still waiting on disability.

We are having a really hard time financially.

Hello everyone,

My longtime employee and friend Chris Dowdy recently was married after meeting the love of his life, Sammy. They tied the knot in Strasburg, VA on April 2nd of this year.

Chris came into my office 10 years ago and asked if I was hiring. I asked if he could follow directions and show up every day. He said yes and was hired on the spot and worked all the night through in a snowstorm in his truck, a push spreader, and 45 bags of salt. I gave him the biggest parking lot we had (as a test) amongst others and he shined.

Fast forward a bit and even after finding out he had just finished up treatment for brain cancer and surgery with only a 30% chance to live to remove the baseball-sized tumor, he became my longest-tenured employee, equipment operator, pond builder extraordinaire, and friend.

Sadly, he started having seizures this year and after an MRI, it was confirmed the cancer had returned. Now with only Sammy's income and little health insurance, they are in the fight of their lives already losing their car and having to move.

If you can spare something, please do. He beat it once and the Doctor said there are many improvements since 2012 and he has a 98% chance of making it through the surgery. Either way, it's going to be a long, rough road for them so anything you can spare will make a difference to help them financially but even more so that people care!

Thanks,

Tom Hunt

Green Earth Landscaping/Virginia Ponds