CHUCK WERT BENEFIT

Hi everyone!

Just wanted to let everyone know that we are STILL waiting for the results from the PET scan... ugh! Taking forEVer! You can follow dad's progress on a new website that we've created at the following address:

http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/chuckwert

Thank you to everyone who has donated here and sent checks in the mail.... we're all overwhelmed with your generosity! $3,250 as of today and 49 contributors! AWESOME! Thank you SO much!!! :-)

Tomorrow is the benefit and we're looking forward to a great turnout and a FUN evening with family and friends! :-) Hooray!!

The great news is that this website is bringing in help from all of you that are far away... some are ALSO mailing in checks - and it is SO overwhelming! Our friends and family are simply the best and we cannot thank you all enough for all of your suport both financially and emotionally! We're all a little scared and a little shaky going in, but dad KNOWS that he has hundreds of people praying for him and in his corner! he's gonna fight this and we're all going to be here to help him through the hard times... just waiting on the doctor appointment this week and its on to the oncologist Monday 2/22 to find oput what we'll be doing for treatment. I say go to the BEST cancer treatments in the northeast and kick cancers ASS! We will BEAT this disease!!!!!!! We'll let you know!

ALso, there is a new website we're creating so we can blog - much like I've been doing here - but we will send out the address and when mom updates it, everyone can go there to see what the progress is so we don't have to re-email and re-text, and re-tell the same story over and over. It's exhausting and frankly quite hard to re-live every time you have to say it... Will let everyone know the website as soon as its up and going....

THE OFFICIAL DIAGNOSIS IS ADVANCED LUNG CANCER... PLEASE KEEP PRAYING THAT DAD- ALONG WITH ALLLLLL OF US- CAN PULL THROUGH AND BEAT THIS!!!!! THANK YOU!!!

Hi all... This is from Mom. We got this news yesterday and are still trying to soak it in. It's gonna be a long ride, but we'll pull through!!!!!!

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For those of you who have been waiting to hear something.... here's the tale of today. We went to Syracuse to Upstate Medical for a bronchoscopy to check the cells in Chuck's lymph nodes. Although we're waiting for the "official" confirmation, the doctor said the initial results from pathology indicated there were cancer cells present in the collection they made from the procedure. Of course, this is not what we wanted to hear.

The doctor will be calling late tomorrow afternoon with the report, but indicated to me today it may be difficult or possibly take a while to figure out where the cancer originated. If it's in his lymph nodes, it has most likely spread there from somewhere else. This is not good news either. We're very numb at the moment and don't even know what the next step is. But whatever it is, we're gonna fight like mad to get rid of the big mean monster!

Chuck had to be off all meds for 48 hours prior to this thing today and so his legs are very achy from being off the Lovenox. He's sleepy and confused..... normal after effects from the procedure. He did however, enjoy his chicken dinner with stuffing and winter squash! His appetite is good!

Thanks for keeping us in your thoughts and for your love and support and prayers.

This is an email from mom.... Here's the scoop!

The update today is basically everything stems from the blood clots. The rheumatologist says that he does NOT have gout as his local GP believed. All the symptoms that are gout-like are due to the poor blood flow from the blood clots in both legs. Lots of swelling and pooling of fluids (edema) in ankles and feet causes painful pressure but is not in his joints. On a happy note, Chuck's happy that he can eat red meat again without the fear of a gout attack!! The doctor he saw today will be importing medical records from Upstate Hospital and we need to have his biopsy report sent to her as well. She will be monitoring all information and depending on biopsy results will or will not be able to treat whatever the underlying reason is. If he has Lupus or Sarquidosis (sp?) she's the one who will help. If it's something else we have to deal with that. The biopsy will be on Thursday and it will probably reveal the reason. Just hoping and praying it's not the C word.... He's also been having an upset stomach (feels like puking) often.... probably a minor thing, but that concerns me too. Hopefully it's just stress related and will pass.

Another VERY happy note! While in Syracuse we went back to the hospital pharmacy to pick up the FREE 30 day supply of Lovenox that he needs to be on (apparently the coumadin does NOT work for him) to rid him of the existing clots. That's the $85 per injection that he needs twice a day. That equates to about $5100 we don't have to spend on meds! Can I hear an AMEN? AMEN!!


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A little bit of good news but still some uncertainty... Keep those prayers coming for Thursday's biopsy!!! Night all!

Hi everyone!

I just checked the page after working a nice crazy and busy Superbowl at the Wing Wagon, coming home for a long hot shower and watching some brainless TV... and NINE people contributed on the first day! We have raised over $300 today! Thank you all SO much for your donations! $5, $10, $25, $50, $100 - every single one helps and is greatly appreciated!! :-)

Dad went over to Lorie & Chris's today and hung out with Chris, Ricky, the 4 grandsons and watched the game for the FIRST time in 27 years! He was happy to be with family and out of the hospital! It was great to see him and give him hugs and kisses in PERSON and not over the phone!

He is so grateful and humbled that so many people are thinking of him and reaching out to help him through this page, the Benefit on the 20th, prayers and love with emails, cards, and phone calls... it's great for his morale too - keeps him smiling to know he's loved (DUH, right?!?)

Again, many thanks.... good night friends!

Chuck has had many medical issues that have been ongoing since mid-December 2009. He was plagued with cellulitis in his left leg and soon after it went to the other leg as well. He then developed a blood clot in his right thigh. Soon after that he began having severe pain in his feet and was diagnosed with gout. It is hard for him to stand or walk right now. As you all know, he and mom own the Wing Wagon and work there FULL time... His doctor in Watertown put him on full disability. This meant not only was there no income for him, now they had to pay employees more to cover his hours as well... He also had to take injections via shot for the blood clot (as well as high blood pressure medicine and blood thinners - expensive too!) and the injections were $85 a piece! $1300 just for those!!!

Well, when his right leg flared up, his local doctor told him to go right to Syracuse. THERE, they discovered that he had THREE clots in his leg. They did an ultrasound on his left leg to rule out any clots there and found THREE MORE! Soon after that they did a surgery where they put in mesh filters in his lower abdomen to prevent any damage to his system when the clots DO break up... His numbers will not stay up where they need to be for his blood levels, so he may have to take these $85 shots EVERY day for the rest of his life!

He had a CT done of his body and they were suspicious of spots on his kidneys, but THANK GOD there is no sign of cancer there. They are still concerned with some spots on lymph nodes in his chest. They need to biopsy them, but he needs to be off some of the meds he is on for a few days first. He was released today, Feb. 5th, to go home and rest and will be going back on the 9th to see a specialist about his FEET and then soon after will be back in to get the biopsy on his lymph nodes.

Not only do mom and dad need your financial support, they need your prayers and love! If you'd like to send a card, the address is 223 S. Meadow St., Watertown, NY 13601. You can also contribute HERE by donating safely and securely online to Chuck and Mary Ann's PayPal account! THANK YOU!!