Terry Hoolihan

Patricia Hoolihan and family are organizing this fundraiser on behalf of Terry Hoolihan.

 

As many of you know Terry has been battling cancer since June of 2015. For those of you who don’t know his story……

 

After polyp surgery in 2011 and another polyp “mass” surgery in May of 2015, Terry was diagnosed the following month with Esthesioneuroblastoma, a rare type of cancer that forms in the tissues of the upper part of the nasal cavity. He had surgery to remove the cancerous brain tumor, after which he had radiation. Radiation was stopped at 28 of the 33 rounds due to a detached retina. The doctors can’t say for sure if the detached retina was due to the radiation. In October of 2015 he had retina surgery and it was successful. Thank you Dr. Alan Ruby.

 

After a quiet year and a half, in May of 2017, the cancer was discovered in the neck and he had Quadruple Endoscopy w/biopsy, Bilateral neck dissection followed by 30 rounds of radiation. By Christmas that year we learned he had another tumor in the right side of his head. Terry has had wonderful doctors. His surgery to remove that tumor was done on New Years Eve! We could never thank Dr. Murali Guthikonda enough.

 

By March of 2018 his head was healed enough to start 30 rounds of radiation on the head. The rest of 2018 proved to be pretty smooth sailing. Then March of 2019 a tumor was found on his Carotid Artery. This tumor could not be removed because his life would have been in jeopardy. So, once again he underwent 28 rounds of Radiation and chemotherapy (infusions and pills). The rest of 2019 was filled with radiation, chemotherapy and scans.

 

January of 2020 the cancer had spread to his liver. Terry had Radio Embolization (Y-90). This is a minimally invasive procedure that combines embolization and radiation therapy to treat liver cancer. Tiny glass or resin beads filled with the radioactive isotope yttrium Y-90 are placed inside the blood vessels that feed the tumors. Like a million tiny glass beads! He went on to have more radiation on his neck, back and ribs.

 

By September 2020 it was clear the cancer was still spreading and was now in the bones. His oncologist told him he had 6 months to a year. Not something anyone wants to hear. Radiation wasn’t helping and even though we were told his cancer is slow growing, it seemed fast to us. He has lost his sense of smell. We have been keeping him as healthy as we can. He even tried a unconventional method using a animal dewormer medicine.

 

He proved the “6 months to a year” wrong. He was approved to try Keytruda Infusions (an Immunotherapy drug) so most of 2021 has been infusions every 3 weeks. This month, October 2021, his oncologist told us the Keytruda was not working how we had all hoped it would. Terry begun losing weight pretty fast (normally 170 lbs. down to 120 lbs.) The oncologist belief is he has less than 6 months and will now help us control his pain. Hospice Care has been suggested.

 

Terry has been fighting like a warrior for the last 6 years. He has demonstrated tremendous strength and positivity throughout this experience. He is humbly asking for assistance from friends and family to help cover outstanding medical bills, as well as, current medical expenses. Thank you for your kind generosity. Please feel free to share Terry's story. Prayers are much needed as well. Love from Terry and his entire family. ❤️❤️❤️

 

For those of you reading this and do not really know Terry here’s a quick glance into who he is.

 

Terry, 65, is married and has 2 grown boys and 4 grandchildren. In his younger days he played softball and bowled. His highest game was 299. He always wanted to get that 300 games but due to cancer had to stop bowling. He has a passion for helicopters and at one time took private lessons. He worked in the Title Insurance/Mortgage field most of his working years and that allowed him to travel in many states surrounding Michigan. He even worked at bowling alleys to earn extra income-wasn't like a job to him.