Supporting The Stockhausen Family fighting cancer

Hi, my name is George Toney. I have been best friends with Sean for over 30 years. This is very hard for me to write and say, but he and his family need some help. Here is a little background for those unfamiliar:

8 years ago, April 1, 2015, Sean was diagnosed with a Neuro Endocrine Carcinoma that had metastasized down his neck and throughout his spine. He also has Leptomeningeal Disease. At the time, he was given months with treatment or weeks without treatment. Leptomeningeal disease has a prognosis of 4-6 months. To say he is a fighter is an understatement.

He has undergone 2 ½ years of Chemo, 2 rounds of radiation, a year and a half of a clinical trial treatment. He was still working full time. Walking, being as normal as he could be, living life. Enjoying time with family and friends.

In October 2022, he had his first really bad migraine. When they came, it made it hard for him to focus. His head would hurt so badly, he couldn’t open his eyes.

Then January 2023 came. Sean injured his back kicking in carpet ( yes, he was still physically installing floors at that point). His back pain became so severe that he could not sit through a 20-minute EEG scan. His wife took him to Moffit’s Urgent Care. There he stayed for 3 days, while they did scans and tried to help him with the pain. This began his decline and the inability to walk started to happen.

In February, he was finally able to complete the EEG. This test showed no seizure activity, but the side effects of the medication his neurologist put him on had already taken place and it seems to be a permanent issue. His eyes will drift in different directions. At this point, he was walking with a cane to help stabilize him. He was prescribed a steroid to help with the pain in his back at this point by his neurologist.

March brought about the 26-hour migraine. He went to Moffit’s Urgent Care again, where they did a CT scan to make sure there was no bleeding or swelling happening. He was prescribed a migraine medication. At this point, he was walking with a walker.

April, this was the last few weeks where he was able to put weight on his legs and stand. Sean lost all ability to walk. This put not only a lot of physical strain, but mental and financial as well. There isn’t a guide to turn to when someone loses the ability to walk suddenly. With the wonderful support system of friends and family with my assistance, they were able to get the medical equipment needed so Sean could live a normal life and do the most basic things needed. With help, we were able to rearrange the house, so it fits the equipment and Sean has full access to all rooms and can maneuver successfully throughout the house.

Sean’s work has been beyond amazing and has created a position for him, so he is still able to work, just at a desk doing office work. Nicole started her job in June and drives Sean to work daily and picks him up.

The end of August had Sean going to the Neurologist and she wanted to try a quick, 4 dose chemo treatment, with hopes of reducing the swelling in his spine. Sean was still on the full dose of the steroid at this point. Sean was only able to complete 3 doses as he developed severe stretch marks that led to some of them opening on his stomach.

November 20th, Sean stayed home from work because he was not feeling quite right. There were a lot of illnesses going around at the time. He stayed home from work the following day as well. Wednesday, November 22nd, he got up, got ready for work, but Nicole told him to just stay home and relax and rest. The boys were home on break that week, so she knew they would keep an eye on him. She called every hour to hear his voice, because she can tell when he isn’t quite right, especially with a migraine happening. Nicole got home just after 5 pm that day and knew he wasn’t right and something was very wrong. She asked him what his name was, he was very confused. She then asked what her name was, he couldn’t answer. She immediately called 911, thinking it could have been a stroke. They got to the house in less than 5 minutes. Stroke was ruled out and he was taken to the ER. Once there, he was so out of it, they had to sedate him in order to be able to do anything. He was swinging and pulling at everything. He was very confused and had no clue what was happening.

It turns out that his sodium level had dropped dangerously low. His endocrine system had completely shut down, due to being on the steroid for so long and trying to come off it, and he had the flu. It took until Saturday, November 25th for him to wake up. He still wasn’t fully there, but it was a great sign. He was also diagnosed with diabetes insipidus.

Then Monday, November 27th, his sodium crashed down again to 120. He came back quicker, but it took the act of an amazing team to see he wasn’t 100% himself and needed some help to come back to his right mind, and to get the DI under control. He finally came back to us Friday, December 1. He called at 6:30 in the morning. It was the best phone call.

His heart rate and blood pressure are still elevated, which is the biggest concern now. Even though he is in a general admittance now, he still has a long way to go to get back to where he was. He has lost most of the strength in his arms. He will be out of work for the foreseeable future.

His family, himself, his wife, and their two teenage boys cannot move anywhere else. Their house is a rental and Nicole’s salary is not enough to cover their rent and bills. The house is the best place for Sean to heal, and it is set up for him. Their rent is $2,357/month. They need some help with this for the next few months, so Sean can focus on healing and not the bills. Nicole cannot get a 2nd job and be able to help Sean.

All donations will be used for rent, power, water, and groceries