Support Kevin Collins and his family in His Cancer Battle.

Hi, this is Kevin Collin's story. His wife, Lisa, has been Journaling their life changing events since his initial ER visit on February 23, 2024. I'd like to share their past month with you.

March 25, 2024. (Our 29th Wedding Anniversary) Scratch that treatment. This same day he got deathly ill. His bowel became obstructed / blocked. I have never been so scared in my life. I thought he was going to die. He was admitted to the hospital that same day. 

Tuesday, March 26, 2024 surgery was performed. The obstruction was cleared. The surgeon did all he could do, but the surgery resulted in him having a colostomy bag. The surgeon was unable to remove any of the tumor/cancer that is present. The Cancer is stage 4, but only God nows how long he has to live. He is ready for the fight. He was in the hospital for six days. He was released from the hospital on April 1, 2024. 

On April 8, 2024 he began to experience some major pain so bad pain meds would not stop the pain. We went to the ER on the surgeons orders. They removed the some stitches, and a rod or bridge used in some colostomy surgeries to hold the stoma up to keep it from falling into the abdomen. He was admitted to the hospital that night. They wanted to make sure he didn’t have an infection deeper in the stomach area. They performed a CT scan to check for infection. We stayed over night to receive IV antibiotics, and wait in the CT results. This time it was good news. He did not have an infection. Praise God!

April 16, 2024 He started chemo. It went pretty smooth. Six days after the first round of chemo he has been very sick and unable to eat. He throws up after he eats and has been nauseated. He is taking anti nausea medication. It works for a few hours. This is the nature of the beast. So he’s on a liquid protein diet as tolerated at this time. If he looses that much weight the treatments will have to stop or different medication will have to be given. 

April 30, 2024 we go back for the second treatment of chemo. We do not know at this time how many treatments he will have.  

Neither of us have worked in over a month. I have never left his side. We’ve been lucky to have some good friends and family. With their help we have paid some of our bills, but not all are taking care of. Next month will be another struggle until the disability kicks in. 

Cancer is not in anyone’s budget. I'm working on his disability paperwork at work, but we all

know the red tape takes time.  So if anyone says just take your short term or long term disability (for me because I’m not sick. ) they're giving out false information. To take short/long term disability you have to have medical-illness reason.  Your spouse having cancer is not a medical reason to use these benefits. FMLA is unpaid leave so you don’t loose your job so FMLA, short and long term disability are completely different things.

We have our good days and bad days. Kevin’s being strong and he's all in and ready to fight this. We need your prayers. Please have everyone you know add us to their prayer list. 

If I’ve learned anything from this is that if you or anyone you love or care about needs to do all and every medical age test that they say to do to help avoid this hell. If you love yourself and family never ever skip any medical test. It’s weird Kevin has never been sick a day in his life besides his appendix being taken out in the 3rd grade and a cold here in there, and  lower back pain from hard work.  

Please listen to me As I Scream It From The Roof Tops Get Your Age Appropriate Medical Wellness Exams Done. Never skip a test even if you’ve never been sick.  Doing the test may not stop it, but at least you may find out you’re sick and not have Stage 4 Cancer or worse.  

Hindsight is 2020, but don’t let this be you or someone you love. I wouldn’t wish this hell on my worst enemy. 

This man is the love of my life. We met as kids I was 13 and he was 19. We were neighbors.  Him growing up in the city, and me growing up in the country. We were friends before anything romance ever started. Our families were close because we were all neighbors. When I was 18 we started dating off and on. We married in 1995. We have been blessed with 3 beautiful children our first son 24, second a daughter 19, and the youngest a boy is 14. They are devastated.  We have been married 29 years and together 37 years. 

We will not get paid again for at least a month, but that doesn't stop the regular bills and medical bills from coming in. Hospitals and doctors want the money up front to perform the test and procedures. The costs, even with our insurance, is exorbitant. We need help to be able manage, no matter the amount, it will be so appreciated. It's the difference in paying medical expenses and medicine versus a roof over our heads and food on the table. We also need your prayers. Kevin, myself and our family thank you and pray you and your family are blessed beyond measure!

~ Lisa

To their friends, family and those of you whom they've never met,

The main concern of a family in a health crisis should be their focus on one another. But when crisis comes, we, as a community, should intervene with help to keep the medical bills from depriving them of this precious time.

That $6 cup of coffee, eating out for $10-$15 vs a sack lunch for one day, how much per month do we spend on entertainment? This isn't an attempt to guilt trip anyone, it's simply a reminder of what we can use to bless this family during an incredibly hard life event they didn't choose.

Please give ANY amount to ease their burden. You're bit only blessing then, but yourself as well!

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