Stronger Together

As many of you know, Jonathan was diagnosed with stage 3 mixed germ cell cancer after developing testicular cancer that required surgery. After his initial surgery, a CT scan of his chest, abdomen, and pelvis was performed. The pathology report revealed another cancerous mass in his abdomen, about the size of a lemon, and that he needed to begin chemotherapy immediately. He then had another surgical procedure to have a port placed in his chest so his chemo treatments could begin. His chemotherapy schedule included Monday through Friday sessions lasting five hours a day for one week, followed by treatments on the next two Tuesdays, then another full week of Monday through Friday sessions. This cycle continued for 9 weeks. After completing months of chemotherapy, another CT scan of his abdomen showed that the mass had shrunk to an operable size. On May 12th, Jonathan underwent major surgery at Orlando Health in Orlando called an Open Retroperitoneal Lymph Node Dissection. Surgeons had to make an incision from his sternum, past his navel, down to his pelvic bone. All his major organs had to be removed because the cancerous lymph nodes were behind the major organs and located between the aorta and spine. After 3 hours of surgery, and 46 staples, he now faces a recovery that could take months. He has already incurred significant medical expenses and will be unable to work until his surgeon clears him. We are all praying that the surgical pathology report of the removed mass will show clean margins and that the cancer is gone.
A benefit for Jonathan will be on Saturday, June 13th, from 2:00 to 6:00 at The Salty Fox. There will be raffle baskets,Flower booth, a 50/50 drawing, and a DJ, so please come out to support Jonathan as he continues his fight with cancer.