SPECIAL HOLIDAY UPDATE - 12/14/16

Below you will read the story of a long-time friend of mine who is asking for help. He is a former social worker, retired due to disability resulting from a near-paralyzing collision many years ago (not his fault).  This is a legitimate request and a true story. I ask you to read, give what you can, and to share my friend’s story. Richard’s Story - Rik is a Medicare patient due to his disability status, not his age. Beginning in 2011, his PSA level began to creep up until it reached a 10, at which point his primary care physician referred him to a urologist. He also had various urinary problems, all of which are common problems for older men. His PSA count continued to climb and he was diagnosed with BPH (benign prostate hypoxia -- enlarged prostate) and a bladder infection. However, his symptoms slowly became more of an issue and his PSA level went to the high teens, then the 20’s, 30’s and up into the high 60’s. He also had, over about three years, three biopsies of the prostate.  Each one showed nothing new - still BPH and a recurrent bladder infection.  NOTE: The doctor who was treating Rik “left” that practice very suddenly and a nurse called to tell him that his new doctor (the head doctor at this practice) would now be taking over his treatment.  The nurse said "Oh, my!  Your PSA level is really high and we need you to come in ASAP to see the doctor."  Rik came in a few days later.  The new doctor said that yet another biopsy was needed, and he performed it right away.  This one came back positive for cancer in August of 2014.   Rik also had an MRI at this time, which showed cancer in the surrounding lymph nodes.His PSA at the time was at least in the 80’s. He had two bone scans, which were negative, and then a followup “targeted” needle biopsy which showed positive for cancer. The outlook was not good and he was told that the prognosis was terminal and there was nothing to be done.  This doctor's only treatment options were hormone suppression and targeted radiation and radiation seeds. At his last visit to this practice, however, Rik was only able to meet with a Physician's Assistant, who encouraged him to begin the hormone suppression therapy and told him there was really no need for him to  try anything else or seek a second opinion. The doctor did not see him and would not even look at Rik,  even though Rik could see him sitting in the office area. This doctor spent very little time with Rik during his visits and “avoided him like the plague”.  After this, Rik followed the strong advice of friends with connections to the Winship Cancer Center at Emory University Hospital and went there for a second opinion. In Rik's words, he finally found (at Winship) "a doctor who actually cares about his patients and in this case the patient was me."  A PET scan showed the cancer had progressed beyond the prostate and surrounding lymph nodes and had progressed well into the bladder. Further tests revealed an unrelated thyroid cancer.  Because the doctors at Emory/Winship persuaded him that he had a life worth saving and his surgeon stated to Rik that he did “not believe in no win scenarios”, Rik underwent the following operations and treatment: - November 2014:  The initial operation removed his prostate, bladder, 43 lymph nodes, and remaining testicle.  This procedure resulted in his receiving a urostomy and having to recover at home for the next 3 months, with the help of friends. Until recently there was little family support and his close circle of friends in Atlanta have been his lifeline throughout his illness. - February 2015:  February marked the beginning of seven and one half weeks of daily (M-F) radiation treatments, which lasted through March.   - May 2015:  Post-radiation, he underwent a thyroidectomy, which resulted in the removal of more than 65% of his thyroid. June 2015:  Biopsy of  remaining thyroid, which produced five samples.  Four of the samples were inconclusive for cancer and one was negative. Later that month, physicians stated that the thyroid cancer was in remission but would have to be monitored.  January 2016: Colonoscopy revealed colon damage due to radiation treatments and the resultant diagnosis of radiation proctitis. March 2016: Flexible Sigmoidoscopy to treat the remaining lesions in the bowel they did not get during the previous colonoscopy. September 2016: Completion Thyroidectomy and Parathyroid Autograft. Tests over the previous months revealed significant growth of the nodules in the remaining thyroid gland. In the months following his radiation treatments, Rik has been diagnosed with diabetes, hepatitis C, radiation proctitis and is suffering the other resultant physical “problems” related to his cancer treatment and the illnesses. All of these have further increased his medical costs and severely impacted his life. HOW YOU CAN HELP While Rik is lucky and all of us are grateful that he is alive, his struggle to survive cancer has come at a considerable financial cost and he needs your help. He is a 63-year-old disabled/retired social worker living on a fixed income and was unprepared to absorb the breadth and depth of medical costs associated with the procedures, treatments, and ongoing examinations to ensure he remains in remission.   Before these events started, he was able to perform some “odd jobs” at times to bring in minimal extra funds. The “odd jobs” consisting of helping people clean their houses, going to the store/shopping for and with people who needed assistance, and going with people to their doctor’s appointments. Once a social worker always a social worker. Due to the physical toll of my operations, treatments for the cancer and other health issues, he is no longer able to continue performing any “odd jobs” to bring in extra funds. Please be aware that with his fixed income, he would be able to meet normal bills and remain in his home. He cannot, however, handle this crippling medical bills on his fixed income.  Medicare only pays 80% of the medical costs that it covers.  That 20% of bills like Rik's is a crippling amount for someone who has no way to supplement his income. You can make a huge difference in this one life. Your kind and deeply appreciated donation(s) can help a wonderful person remain in his home, pay down medical/other bills, and reduce the added stress of financial fears piled on top of dealing with severe medical problems for a fellow human being.  Achieving his fund raising goal would allow him to pay off enough of his bills and remain in his home. (Although I would like to see him raise a little more so that there is a cushion against future medical bills.)      I know this has been long reading, but thank you for sticking it out to the end.  Please consider doing whatever you can for Richard T. Hill Jr. In closing, I ask all of you to help my friend to keep his home.  To donate please go to:     www.gofundme.com/j55wek