SEPTEMBER UPDATE:

It's been another week at Cancer Central and once again, we're glad it's over. 😬 It was another long one, but we weren't even sure Jarett would receive his chemo this week. It was a nail-biter! Jarett's blood cell counts, particularly his white blood cells, are low which is generally to be expected; however, Jarett's had dipped below the acceptable range to received chemo (oh, crap!). There is a type of white blood cell called neutrophils which is the body's first line of defense to fight infections and heal wounds (I swear they didn't teach me this in high school). Jarett needs a 1.0 on his neutrophils to receive chemo. A week before chemo he was at .66 and the day before chemo he was at .88. On the morning of chemo, Jarett's neutrophils were 1.18. Woo! Just made it. But, as his doctor commented, his counts are still quite low. Therefore Jarett is now receiving a Neulasta shot on Day 4 of his chemo cycle which will stimulate his bone marrow to produce more neutrophils. We're hopeful these shots will make him feel better in general, too.

The week overall was hard. Chemo fucking sucks. It's literal poison and I just hate seeing Jarett feel so poorly. This week was particularly gnarly given Jarett just finished his radiation, which yeah, is momentous, but radiation is cumulative and keeps working for around 10 days after the treatment is actually over. His radiation burns were the worst they've been on Tuesday which was also Chemo Day 1. Nausea, pain, fatigue, dry mouth, and burns were at their worst, but of course, Jarett was at his best. He's been a stud through the whole thing and just keeps pushing forward.

The great shed began and came on strong this past week. Jarett has entered his Dr. Evil, Vin Diesel, Howie Mandel, he mustache you a question phase. He's rockin' bald and he, quite frankly, has a nice melon.

We're looking forward to the next two weeks where Jarett will have blood draws and acupuncture weekly and then we'll be preparing for his final chemo cycle at the end of September/early October.

Thanks for all the support you've shown Jarett and me this week via messages, care packages, time, and more. Thank you!

--Cassie

Milly's story starts in the fall of 2020 when he began experiencing nose bleeds and lost his senses of smell and taste. DAMN COVID! By January of 2021, he was still having symptoms and was being treated for post-covid symptoms. Through the winter, his symptoms continued and he pursued additional medical care. After a nasal scope, his ENT doctors in Boise believed he had a nasal polyp. On March 22nd, 2021, Milly had outpatient surgery to remove the polyp. As standard procedure, the removed polyp was sent for laboratory examination where it was determined that it wasn't a polyp at all, but a malignant tumor. DAMN CANCER!

In March and April, Milly was diagnosed by St. Al's and Moffitt Cancer Center with high-grade neuroendocrine carcinoma of the sinus.

Since that time, he has sought a second opinion and will be seeking ongoing cancer treatment at Seattle Cancer Care Alliance and the University of Washington, a National Cancer Institute designated facility. He will have a four phase treatment plan that includes a second surgery on June 8th, chemoradiotherapy (proton radiation), chemotherapy, and on-going post-treatment care.

Cassie and Milly will be temporarily re-locating to Seattle later this year for about four months.

Milly's cancer is extremely rare; there are less than 100 documented cases of his disease. It's also aggressive; however, there are strong reasons to hope for a cure. His tumor was small and so far, we believe was localized to his sinus. Milly had an MRI in April which ruled out brain tumors; woo! And finally, his medical team is excellent.

We are raising funds to help support Milly, Cassie, and Bruce with all the expenses that they will have. Moving, rent, higher cost of living in Seattle, medical bills, ongoing expenses for Boise House, etc. Did I mention Medical bills? Insurance covers a good chunk, but not all of it.

Please join in and give a little, a lot, or a butt load.

Support Jarett "Milly" Sturdevant 💙

By Emily Arthurs

Support Jarett "Milly" Sturdevant 💙

Cancer Sucks!! MILLY ROCKS HARDER!!!

Team Members