Bob's Fight Against Pancreatic Cancer

Bob and I met in college. He was almost instantly my best friend. He would tell you he loved me at first sight. This very private man has always had an openness with me that others have not experienced. Bob is funny, loyal to a fault, hard working, caring, giving, an amazing husband, father, and friend and a great singer. He and I fell out of touch for about 10 years, but reconnected in 2015 and married in 2016. He is my best friend and my favorite person. I adore him. He's my lobster.

On Nov 27, 2023, Bob was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer that had metastasized to his liver. This meant he had a tumor on his pancreas which had spread to his lymph nodes and his liver. Pancreatic cancer is a devil in that there are really no early signs and it is often caught in the late stages. When we went to the ER, he was in a lot of pain (which we thought was from a bad cough he had had) and he had lost 17 lbs in 3 weeks. In the ER, they initially thought he had an ulcer until they performed bloodwork and an ultrasound. The news of his diagnosis was devastating.

We met with surgeons who told us the tumor was inoperable. We met with oncologists who told the best course of action was to start chemotherapy in hopes of stopping the growth and possibly shrinking the tumor. Bob was still in so much pain he couldn't eat or drink more than 1/2 cup at a time. He was losing weight at 2-5 lbs. per week. We did some research and found a nerve bloc procedure that could help. Bob underwent the celiac plexus nerve bloc and felt relief within a week. He could finally eat up to a cup of food at a time.

Bob started chemo on Dec 18, 2023. The first round went alright. The second round, two weeks later, was horrible. He had so much mouth and throat pain he couldn't eat for days. They reduced one of the chemotherapy drugs for round three and thankfully he didn't have all the mouth pain. He continued to lose weight though. We worked with the nutritionist and tried high calorie, high protein drinks and all sorts of different foods and drinks. I finally got to the point that I told him to eat whatever he wants and forget all the drinks and supplements we were trying. It has helped.

Bob hasn't been able to work since the week of Thanksgiving. When he was diagnosed, I had been out of work for 3 months due a major downsizing at my old employer. We had gone through our savings while I was out of work. Thankfully, I began a new job in December. However, I have only been able to work part-time so I can take Bob to chemotherapy and doctors appointments, coordinate his care, and make more phone calls than I ever imagined. Bob has been a major contributor to running the household over the years and that all falls to me now as well. He wants so badly to help, but he is too tired and not physically strong enough.

As you can imagine, this has taken a major toll on Bob, me and the kids. Our six year old doesn't understand the gravity of the situation, but it affects him quite a bit. He sees a couple different counselors and is getting extra help at school. If it weren't for family, friends, Bob's employer and some angels out there that have heard of what we are going through, I don't know how we would have made it this far. So now I am asking for your help to get us through the foreseeable future. Please help us raise funds to pay for Bob's medical bills and care that insurance doesn't cover; housing, utilities and food; and the cost of counseling for the kids and us.