Help Spector Fight Stage 4 Cancer!
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A little over one month ago, on June 4, 2016, I had just had emergency spinal surgery to remove what I had thought was a pinched nerve but turned out to be a tumor on my T7 vertebrae, and I had just taken my first halting post surgery steps down Resurrection Road, as I began to battle what turned out to be Stage Four prostate cancer, metastized to my bones.
The T7 tumor had bored through the bone and reached my spinal cord; when it constricted the nerves by a factor of 50% my legs gave out and stopped "legging" -- I couldn't walk or stand or even crawl on hands and knees. That was around the time I finally figured out this was no pinched nerve.
After an ambo ride and eleven hours in ER, I was medical transported to Sentara Norfolk General Hospital, because the have neurosurgery. I spent the next 12 days in Trauma.
The surgery was successful. I had faced the very real possibility of never walking again; as it is, it will be years before I am back to where I was before.
By the time I found out, it was already Stage 4 -- Stages 1-3 passed in stealthy silence, or were mistaken for something less life threatening, more mundane... only to realize that the fight of my life had just kicked off, and the dark dance it portends will last the rest of my days.
So be it. Now I know. And I fight. 'Cuz this battle may be mine, but the war is bigger than all of us. And it might be true that all we ever really get is today, and a dream.
But in the meantime, I fight.
The ringing of the bell in the photo is a tradition when you complete radiation treatments. I did ten in fourteen days, firebombing the bone spots where cancerous cells were taking root, and finished last Friday! Like Reese said to Ripley in Aliens: "nuke 'em from orbit, it's the only way to be sure." Yup.
My doctors told me my cancer scores 8 of 10 on an aggressiveness scale. Very ambitious, my mutinous prostate is.
I score 11 out of 10 on a fighting back scale, and 20 out of 10 on a go screw yourself scale. I am Spartacus. ;)
In one week I turn 58. Under the circumstances, I think I'm doing rather well. I gain a bit more strength each day, on the long road ahead. In addition to the radiation, I am into month two of Androgen Deprivation Therapy. And the fight goes on.
You hear a lot about Cancer Victims, Cancer Survivors... that's fine. I am a Cancer Warrior. I will fight this to my last breath. And I will live.
I am doing this GoFundMe to try to raise some basic operational funding, since the verdict on my application in the grand labrynthine maze of SSI SSDI Medicare Medicaid etc etc is months in the offing and I haven't worked since the beginning of May... and the employer in my day job as a medical and legal courier bravely responded to my condition by firing me (nice guy, Carl the owner is. A true prince.)
So essentially, I am running on economic fumes.
Specific goals of this fundraiser are:
1) To aid in my increased mobility: I have a walker (even the good ones suck), a HuGo Rollater (which is awesome, albeit fatiguing), and my trusty old Camry (which is a must.) I am seeking to get a Pride GoGo mobility scooter as an interim tool -- it runs on a battery, breaks down into five pieces, and will stow in my car. They cost about $900-1000.
2) To offset costs such as airfare for the trips my wife Tess has to make between her home in Winnipeg, Canada, and my current abode in Virginia Beach, VA. Even finding the cheapest fares, these average @$500US roundtrip, and these will spike if I have to undergo the other big C -- chemo -- in which case, she will be taking a medical leave of absence to help me through the process.
3) To pay for Rx meds prescribed for my treatment and recovery.
4) To cover basic costs like keeping my cellphone on, as it is my digital lifeline.
Much as I would prefer to quietly retreat to my dignified pile of cash to cover these expenses, I am woefully short of what is needed. So I'm calling on friends, fans, and strangers alike: if you can help, I will be deeply appreciative.
Yours,
Craig Spector
facebook: The ART of NOT Dying: Tales of Recovery on the Resurrection Road.
https://www.facebook.com/spartacus.fights.cancer/
The T7 tumor had bored through the bone and reached my spinal cord; when it constricted the nerves by a factor of 50% my legs gave out and stopped "legging" -- I couldn't walk or stand or even crawl on hands and knees. That was around the time I finally figured out this was no pinched nerve.
After an ambo ride and eleven hours in ER, I was medical transported to Sentara Norfolk General Hospital, because the have neurosurgery. I spent the next 12 days in Trauma.
The surgery was successful. I had faced the very real possibility of never walking again; as it is, it will be years before I am back to where I was before.
By the time I found out, it was already Stage 4 -- Stages 1-3 passed in stealthy silence, or were mistaken for something less life threatening, more mundane... only to realize that the fight of my life had just kicked off, and the dark dance it portends will last the rest of my days.
So be it. Now I know. And I fight. 'Cuz this battle may be mine, but the war is bigger than all of us. And it might be true that all we ever really get is today, and a dream.
But in the meantime, I fight.
The ringing of the bell in the photo is a tradition when you complete radiation treatments. I did ten in fourteen days, firebombing the bone spots where cancerous cells were taking root, and finished last Friday! Like Reese said to Ripley in Aliens: "nuke 'em from orbit, it's the only way to be sure." Yup.
My doctors told me my cancer scores 8 of 10 on an aggressiveness scale. Very ambitious, my mutinous prostate is.
I score 11 out of 10 on a fighting back scale, and 20 out of 10 on a go screw yourself scale. I am Spartacus. ;)
In one week I turn 58. Under the circumstances, I think I'm doing rather well. I gain a bit more strength each day, on the long road ahead. In addition to the radiation, I am into month two of Androgen Deprivation Therapy. And the fight goes on.
You hear a lot about Cancer Victims, Cancer Survivors... that's fine. I am a Cancer Warrior. I will fight this to my last breath. And I will live.
I am doing this GoFundMe to try to raise some basic operational funding, since the verdict on my application in the grand labrynthine maze of SSI SSDI Medicare Medicaid etc etc is months in the offing and I haven't worked since the beginning of May... and the employer in my day job as a medical and legal courier bravely responded to my condition by firing me (nice guy, Carl the owner is. A true prince.)
So essentially, I am running on economic fumes.
Specific goals of this fundraiser are:
1) To aid in my increased mobility: I have a walker (even the good ones suck), a HuGo Rollater (which is awesome, albeit fatiguing), and my trusty old Camry (which is a must.) I am seeking to get a Pride GoGo mobility scooter as an interim tool -- it runs on a battery, breaks down into five pieces, and will stow in my car. They cost about $900-1000.
2) To offset costs such as airfare for the trips my wife Tess has to make between her home in Winnipeg, Canada, and my current abode in Virginia Beach, VA. Even finding the cheapest fares, these average @$500US roundtrip, and these will spike if I have to undergo the other big C -- chemo -- in which case, she will be taking a medical leave of absence to help me through the process.
3) To pay for Rx meds prescribed for my treatment and recovery.
4) To cover basic costs like keeping my cellphone on, as it is my digital lifeline.
Much as I would prefer to quietly retreat to my dignified pile of cash to cover these expenses, I am woefully short of what is needed. So I'm calling on friends, fans, and strangers alike: if you can help, I will be deeply appreciative.
Yours,
Craig Spector
facebook: The ART of NOT Dying: Tales of Recovery on the Resurrection Road.
https://www.facebook.com/spartacus.fights.cancer/
Organizer
Craig Spector
Organizer
Virginia Beach, VA