For those that love him, and for those who he has teased relentlessly or offended over the years, my name is Meghann, and Brian is my dad.
Brian has been fighting prostate cancer for nearly 7 years. Because he is Brian and has to be difficult, he has a form of prostate cancer that is more aggressive and harder to treat than your garden variety prostate cancer. We are extremely fortunate and he has been able to get care from some of the best in the field. Many of you know he has been getting his care at Mayo Clinic, which involves trips to Rochester, MN every three months for bloodwork, scans and treatment. In mid-June he had his routine appointments and learned that the treatment that he is on isn’t working effectively and that we are running out of approved options in the United States.
Here’s the good news, he had a treatment earlier in the fight that put him in remission. There is a treatment available that is related to the earlier treatment, but stronger and more targeted. Men like my dad that responded well to the first treatment do extremely well on the new treatment. We are hopeful, and so is his doctor.
The treatment my dad needs is not yet available in the United States. It is approved in several other countries, his doctor refers patients like my dad to a medical center in Turkey. So that’s the rub, treatment is available, but not in the United States, which means it won’t be covered by insurance, it will be an out of pocket expense and it will be expensive. Estimates are that my dad will need to visit Turkey at least four times to receive treatment. My parents will need to pay for their airfare, lodging, food and the treatment. Each stay will be about four days and will cost $35,000/trip.
So for those of you that love him, we are seeking donations to get him to Turkey for treatment and hopefully many more years of having Brian in our lives! For those who he has teased relentlessly or has offended over the years, this is your opportunity to send him halfway across the world to be poked and prodded, and made generally uncomfortable (this really is a big win for all of you in that camp).
Thank you for for reading, and considering a donation. We welcome prayers, positive thoughts and energy, and your well wishes too.
