Raising funds to help support my brother’s cancer journey with rare chondrosarcoma.
In February, Josh was experiencing severe side pain! After some doctor visits and imaging, it was determined he had a tumor in his hip bone. This was all credited to a fantastic PA at York Medical Clinic who took his symptoms seriously and was thorough with his concerns. He was seen at UNMC quickly by an orthopedic oncologist, and it was decided to wait and rescan in 2 months. At that time, he felt it may have been more likely to develop after an old injury, and he did not see some of the typical markers to lead him to believe it was bone cancer, but it was a *maybe*. Fast forward, and two months passed! In May, back at UNMC, the imaging showed the tumor had grown, and it was rather large, and Josh was still experiencing the pain in his side. On May 27th, he had surgery to remove the tumor so it could be sent off and biopsied. On June 2nd, we received the call that it was, in fact, cancer. He was seen at UNMC again on June 12th to check on his incision and create a game plan.
We are waiting for insurance approval for additional imaging (PET scan, and/or possible CT/MRI) to make sure the cancer has not spread anywhere else, particularly in the lungs. If it has not spread, he will need regular imaging as this cancer likes to come back where it originated. These scans will need to take place every 2-3 months for the foreseeable future. This cancer is not common, but it’s especially not common in his age of only 30; it’s seen more in older age groups. It’s not something to take our eyes off of.
If the cancer has spread, it will take additional surgeries and possibly some radiation, but this specific cancer does not respond well to chemotherapy.
At this time, Josh has already missed a couple of weeks of work, and the oncologist feels he will need an additional 6-8 weeks off before the possibility of returning to his job working with HVAC!
Josh is 30, (still single, sorry Josh ) and with my mom’s own very terrible health, his support system has consisted of some really great friends and me, of course! We are posting this to make others aware of his situation and to also hope it helps create a larger support system for him during this journey. It truly takes a village!
He has remained true to himself through this all, which means he’s still joking around and being silly even through the pain and unknown he is facing.
If you feel inclined to help take some of the financial stress off of his back, I know it would be greatly appreciated! For the time he still needs off of work to rest up and heal for the next 6-8 weeks. Medical bills from York Medical Clinic and hospital as well as UNMC will start pouring in, the gas it takes to drive to Omaha for these important appointments, or for some easy meals while he’s still hobbling around.
Please wrap him in your daily prayers and pray specifically for no other areas affected with clear scans. We will update again after his next round of scans are performed and results are in.
Thank you for reading this far!
