Jack's Medical Bills
Donation protected
July 23, 2019
My son has been through a lot. See past go fund me story below. I am saddened to say that he is back at the Mayo. He was diagnosed with Ewing’s sarcoma again but now it is in his vertebrae. This will be the third time he has been diagnosed with cancer. He is a brave, intelligent, kind young man and any help is greatly appreciated. He is in another long battle. He will again go through chemo, proton radiation, and another back surgery. Here we go! His hair is cut and he is ready! He can do this!!!
My son, Jack was diagnosed with ALL leukemia when he was 6 years old back in 2004. It was heartbreaking. He went into remission and received a couple years of chemotherapy. After some time had passed, we thought this nightmare was behind us.
It is now 12 years later and he is 18 years old. Jack says “Mom. Can you take me to the hospital? It feels like cancer”. After an x-ray, 2 painful biopsies, PET scan, bone scan, and 2 MRIs, he was recently diagnosed with metastatic Ewing’s sarcoma. The tumor is the size of an orange. My son named him Fillmore. He will need 6 cycles of chemotherapy, followed by surgery to remove part of his 11th rib along with the rib above and below and the muscle, followed by proton radiation, 8 more cycles of chemotherapy, followed by radiation to his lungs. This will be the plan of care if all goes along as expected. He already has missed a lot of school due to nausea and pain. The doctor told us that he has a 40% chance of survival rate. I am not sure if that statistic is quite correct considering this is his second cancer.
For the last 3 years he has been training to become a Navy Seal. To fight for people’s freedoms is all he ever wanted. He would train his ass off. He swam, ran, hiked, did one handed pushups, and so many sit ups that he couldn’t keep track. When the Paris terrorist attacks happened, he said “I can’t believe I am stuck here again fighting my own battle when the world needs me”. He is so brave.
Sometimes he wonders if his dream of becoming a Navy seal will ever come into fruition. As much as I worry about him being in the military, I don’t want him to give up on his dreams.
After his first chemo diagnosis, I wanted to become a patient advocate. So while he was getting chemo I became an RN. It was very difficult and stressful. I just wanted to take care of people. There is not a moment that goes by where I don’t feel an enormous amount of guilt feeling that I was too busy taking care of others and not my own family.
Asking for help pains me, but my family needs help. The expenses of medications, gas, miles on a leased car, food, missing work, etc. It all adds up very fast. I just don’t want the medical expenses to not be such a burden and to put all my focus on him. The emotional pain I am experiencing is unimaginable and I will never be able to comprehend what it is like for him. I just want him to live.
My name is Sara and I'm from Apple Valley, MN. I am Jack's mother. I am asking for assistance for medical bills and bills in general in order to take care of my son through this trying time.
My son has been through a lot. See past go fund me story below. I am saddened to say that he is back at the Mayo. He was diagnosed with Ewing’s sarcoma again but now it is in his vertebrae. This will be the third time he has been diagnosed with cancer. He is a brave, intelligent, kind young man and any help is greatly appreciated. He is in another long battle. He will again go through chemo, proton radiation, and another back surgery. Here we go! His hair is cut and he is ready! He can do this!!!
My son, Jack was diagnosed with ALL leukemia when he was 6 years old back in 2004. It was heartbreaking. He went into remission and received a couple years of chemotherapy. After some time had passed, we thought this nightmare was behind us.
It is now 12 years later and he is 18 years old. Jack says “Mom. Can you take me to the hospital? It feels like cancer”. After an x-ray, 2 painful biopsies, PET scan, bone scan, and 2 MRIs, he was recently diagnosed with metastatic Ewing’s sarcoma. The tumor is the size of an orange. My son named him Fillmore. He will need 6 cycles of chemotherapy, followed by surgery to remove part of his 11th rib along with the rib above and below and the muscle, followed by proton radiation, 8 more cycles of chemotherapy, followed by radiation to his lungs. This will be the plan of care if all goes along as expected. He already has missed a lot of school due to nausea and pain. The doctor told us that he has a 40% chance of survival rate. I am not sure if that statistic is quite correct considering this is his second cancer.
For the last 3 years he has been training to become a Navy Seal. To fight for people’s freedoms is all he ever wanted. He would train his ass off. He swam, ran, hiked, did one handed pushups, and so many sit ups that he couldn’t keep track. When the Paris terrorist attacks happened, he said “I can’t believe I am stuck here again fighting my own battle when the world needs me”. He is so brave.
Sometimes he wonders if his dream of becoming a Navy seal will ever come into fruition. As much as I worry about him being in the military, I don’t want him to give up on his dreams.
After his first chemo diagnosis, I wanted to become a patient advocate. So while he was getting chemo I became an RN. It was very difficult and stressful. I just wanted to take care of people. There is not a moment that goes by where I don’t feel an enormous amount of guilt feeling that I was too busy taking care of others and not my own family.
Asking for help pains me, but my family needs help. The expenses of medications, gas, miles on a leased car, food, missing work, etc. It all adds up very fast. I just don’t want the medical expenses to not be such a burden and to put all my focus on him. The emotional pain I am experiencing is unimaginable and I will never be able to comprehend what it is like for him. I just want him to live.
My name is Sara and I'm from Apple Valley, MN. I am Jack's mother. I am asking for assistance for medical bills and bills in general in order to take care of my son through this trying time.
Organiser
Sara Forrey
Organiser
Apple Valley, MN