Hello, all. Lindsey here. I wish I didn’t have to write this but, we have some unfortunate news to share.
Since last fall, Tom has been experiencing discomfort/irritation/eye watering on the left side of his nose. After meeting with a few doctors and eventually falling into the hands of an amazing care team, it has been determined that there is indeed a tumor in his nose. That tumor, unfortunately, is cancerous. Squamous Cell Carcinoma – a cancer that typically has a very high survival rate overall when it’s on the surface of the skin. In Tom’s case, however…it is growing through the bone toward his orbital socket and brain/skull.
We are in the very beginning of this whole process, with the next step being having a PET scan done to determine if it has spread to other areas of his body or if it is localized to just the one area. If it is localized, surgery is a potential option for treatment. Unfortunately, due to the complex location of the tumor – it is very possible that with that surgery, Tom could lose his left eye. If it has spread to other areas of his body, a surgery would likely not take place and he would instead begin chemotherapy and radiation to attack this crap.
We are swimming in a sea of unknowns at this time but are happy to be getting answers and making plans with a team that we trust. Either way, it’s a long road ahead.
The future is very shaky right now but at the end of the day, Tom loves what he does and wants to be able to continue to serve the customers that he views as family. He is going to stay working as long as he is able to and will return as soon as the treatments are completed and he is medically cleared to come back to work. However, as many of you may know, we are a small shop with only 4 bodies. With Tom being out for an undetermined amount of time…we may need some help from our friends and family to ensure the ability to keep our doors open. Thankfully, we have Robert and Brian here with us so we will still be able to operate while Tom fights this – but without Tom wrenching, the cash flow will slow down quite a bit.
With all of the testing Tom has gone through so far, his medical bills are already well over $10k. The stress of that on top of the stress of keeping his business up and running while he goes through these treatments is not a stress that he needs to have at this time. While it does not make us feel good to do this, we worry it may be necessary to keep our heads above water.
We understand how difficult times are for everybody in today’s world – I see so many people struggling daily just to make ends meet. We just hope that if people are able to help out with $1 here, $5 there… it can all add up and make a world of difference.
Tom is the definition of a good man. He works hard to provide for his family and cares about people deeply. Every customer that comes through these doors is viewed as family and cared about as such. I have watched this man push himself to the limits time and time again just trying to take care of his customers and make sure they are safe on the road.
I am terrified that his diagnosis might end up taking that all away from him. I am hoping we can all rally together to show him the army he has standing beside him. Even if monetary donations aren’t in the cards – words of encouragement, prayer, sending good vibes…..it all matters. It all makes an impact. It all makes a difference.
I will be starting a CaringBridge site to keep people updated. Thank you to everyone who took the time to read all of this.
Sincerely, One Worried Wifey, Lindsey
