Hello, my name is Sandra. My husband Daniel is a strong and caring man, who beat a rare cancer but struggles with its horrible aftermath. His journey, during Covid 19 dental protocols, began in early 2021 with a simple toothache. Months were wasted trying to save the molar until the tooth was finally pulled. When the socket would not heal, a biopsy showed a finding of Cancer, more specifically – Verrucous Carcinoma of the lower right jaw. We wanted to experience denial, but we just cried in our shock & grief.
It took more time to find a specific cancer doctor, make appointments and obtain more imaging, but the cancer did not wait and continued to grow – eating away at Daniel’s jaw! He would require a mandibulectomy with fibular free flap, which means remove that part of jaw and replace it with bone and tissue from his lower leg. Horrible news and even more shock and crying together!
The surgery was complicated and took our doctor along with a plastic surgeon over six hours to complete. But then we received the ominous warning that blood clots are a risk in the next few days, and could cause the graft to fail. The worst fear occurred three days later when a clot blocked a vein in his new graft, so he went immediately to surgery! Daniel was placed in a medically induced coma for three days to ensure the vein remained open. Scary and heart wrenching cannot begin to describe how his life was in such a fragile state, and I just waited and prayed next to him.
Daniel’s recovery took even longer due to muscle atrophy after the coma but the main victory was the graft was stable and no longer at risk. We finally got a win in his cancer journey. Focus soon turned to allowing Daniel to eat puréed food along with some physical therapy to get him out of bed and walking. Daniel was hospitalized for 18 days, and was discharged right before Christmas-an amazing gift!
When I finally brought Daniel home, he was so frail that he needed to be cared for completely. I became his caregiver-feeding, bathing and dressing him for several weeks, under my FMLA. We had a visiting nurse check his surgical sites until I was comfortable changing bandages on his neck and leg (infected soon after coming home). Daniel also worked with an occupational therapist, to get him moving. Eventually, physical therapy appointments started and they were a weekly motivation for Daniel to fully recover!
The next hurdle to climb was dealing with the loss of nine teeth when the jaw was removed. We found one dentist who specialized with oral cancer patients, then he retired during Covid, just our luck. More time was wasted until Daniel was fitted for a denture/ bridge(not covered by dental insurance). Unfortunately, the denture never fit well because the floor of his mouth is a bulkier piece of flesh from his lower leg. So the denture is for show and speech, but cannot be used for eating. Daniel continues to have pain and struggles. He has a ten inch scar on his neck along with facial asymmetry and chronic leg pain, but we are staying strong together.
Our request is for assistance with hospital/dental expenses along with lost income that has reached $44,000 in remaining debt. We just need a helping hand-any donation will be greatly appreciated. We are so very grateful for your kindness and beautiful heart!
https://paypal.me/SD98dream?country.x=US&locale.x=en_US
Thank you,
Sandra and Daniel