There are lots of words to describe Ben--hard working, funny, caring, tough, supportive, and...stubborn. The thought of asking others for help in this situation is not an easy one for Ben, but his stubbornness is no match for the persistence of his siblings Ryan, Keagan, Austann, and Samantha (along with countless other friends and family members!) who are eager to help Ben and his family with his fight against cancer and the many, many expenses occurred between surgery, labs and tests, chemotherapy, and months of missed work. Cancer already took one beloved family member from the Abbott family when their mother Dawn passed away in 2000, and if this family has anything to do with it, it will NOT be taking another.
Please read Ben's story and consider helping if you're able:
Ben and his wife, Jackie, are 2005 graduates of DeSoto High School. The two started dating their junior year and got married in 2009--exactly 5 years to the day after they started dating back in high school. Their oldest daughter, Allison, was born November 2009 followed by the only boy, Colton, who was born March of 2012. The family welcomed their little firecracker, Brooklynn, just over 3 months ago, on the 4th of July!
Just 2 months after Brooklynn's birth, Ben grudgingly visited the doctor due to an injury he sustained at work. While there, testing resulted in the scary news that he might have cancer. Ben had surgery on September 9th to remove a tumor and initial results proved that the tumor had indeed been cancer, but it seemed hopeful that it had not spread. Despite hoping and praying, results came back a couple of weeks later that the cancer was not gone and it was actually worse than we had hoped. Ben was diagnosed with testicular, nonseminoma embryonal carcinoma. Quite the mouthful. This type of cancer is difficult to detect in normal scans which is why it took everyone by surprise. Embryonal carcinoma are more rare and are known to grow rapidly and to spread. After weighing treatment options and getting second opinions, Ben will be starting chemotherapy on October 19th which will run for 1 month. It is unknown what will happen after the first round of treatment, though any options are putting Ben out of work for the near future. Next steps may be an additional round of chemo. Another treatment option for this type of cancer is called "retroperitoneal lymph node dissection (RPLND)"--a major surgery in which the lymph nodes are removed. We are hopeful that the chemo will take care of Ben's cancer and the surgery will be unnecessary. The chemo, recovery, and financial strain of being out of work are enough to worry about at this point!
Thank you for reading this story. Please keep Ben, his wife, and their children in your thoughts and prayers. If you're able to donate in order to help with Ben's missed work and medical expenses piling up, we would be eternally grateful.
Sincerely,
The Abbott Family
