Hansen Family

November, 2021

GTFC Foundation was happy to donate $2,500 to this family:

Three weeks ago, I received the three words that no one ever wants to hear: YOU HAVE CANCER. It was devastating news for my family and I. Since then, I have had many scans and procedures to find out if the cancer has spread and what the next steps are.

As of right now, the cancer is only in my liver. I will be undergoing a procedure next Friday to remove 50% of my liver where the tumor is located. I will most likely start Chemo and Radiation 4 weeks after, to make sure we kill any cancer the CT scans did not pick up.

I have many emotions after finding out this news but I can promise you the one thing that has never changed is the fight I have to beat this. I refuse to allow cancer to take me away from my beautiful daughters and wife. Cancer will not win this fight. The only thing that I worry about is making sure my girls never see me in pain and never get scared by any of this. Thank you for all the love and support I have already received. I have the strength and fight to kick this cancers ass.

Michel Family

November, 2021

Shane was working out with you one day, and mentioned that he was going to a walk/benefit for Congenital Heart Disease (CHD) for our good friend's baby, Rose, who was born with CHD.  Little Rose is 5 months old, and born with only 2 chambers in her heart instead of 4.  She fights very hard, and her little heart works almost triple time to keep her functioning. 

The doctors wanted to wait until she was one year old to do the heart surgery, but her lungs kept filling with fluid as the heart cannot do enough to keep her lungs clear and pump blood.  On November 4th, Rose went through her first open heart surgery.  Our hearts melt for this amazing family.  They live in Kaukauna and would never, ever, ask for anyone's help, even though Rose has already had 2 surgeries and the medical bills are piling up. 

A heart-felt thank you goes to the Ghost Town Foundation for helping Rose's family.  It was amazing.  Thank you for the prayers for her family, the surgeons, and Rose, THE WARRIOR, as she goes through something no parent would ever dream of for their child.

Dave Haas

September, 2021

Dave is 55 and was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer. His prognosis was two years to live. It is now over two years and 43 treatments later, and Dave is doing awesome! He is enjoying every day with a smile and kicking cancer and the treatments in the ass. His positive attitude and getting it done with a smile is an inspiration to all.

Due to not being able to work and a few unexpected dental bills, GTFC Foundation is kicking in - with a little reluctance by Dave. We gave $2,500 to help pay these bills and make it a bit easier on him. Thanks Dave.

Jovee Shae

April, 2021

Jovee Shae was diagnosed with Tuberous Sclerosis Complex (TSC) when she was 3 weeks old. TSC is a rare genetic disease with only an estimated 50,000 people in the United States and one million diagnosed in the entire world.

TSC causes benign tumors to grow in the main organs such as the heart, brain, kidneys, lungs, eyes and skin. Jovee currently has six tumors in her heart, over ten in her brain and too many in both of her kidneys to count.

85% of people with TSC have seizures and many have some type of developmental delay. No two people with TSC are impacted the same and there is no way to predict severity or outcomes. While there is currently no cure for TSC there are scientists, medical experts and advocates who will not rest until there is.

In November when Jovee was two months old, she became the third baby in the world to participate in the STOP2 clinical trial at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital. The purpose of this study is to identify if a new formulation of the mTOR inhibitor medication called Sirolimus can be used proactively in infants with TSC to prevent seizures and stop the growth of new tumors while shrinking or at minimum maintaining the size of the tumors that were there when she was born.

So far Jovee is doing well on the medication and her family is so grateful they found the TSC medical team in Cincinnati as they are recognized as one of best teams in the world to treat this rare disease. Jovee and her parents Josh and Nicole have been to and from Cincinnati four times since November and will have to travel there three more times before her first birthday in September.

While some clinical trials offer compensation, this one does not. The medication, lab work and doctor visits are covered by study funding. The family is financially responsible for the five EEG’s and four MRI’s (2 abdomen, 2 brain) she will have this year alone. While they do have health insurance, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital is out of network and because she is not yet having seizures (yay, the medicine is doing what it’s supposed to be doing) insurance will not cover multiple EEG’s or MRI’s in the same year, leaving the family with large out of pocket medical expenses.

Unfortunately many have lost loved ones to TSC when it could have been prevented had they gone to a specialist. There is truly so much unknown and the family never wants finances to get in the way of receiving the care Jovee needs. They are so grateful to the Foundation for the generous donation. These incredible acts of kindness bring us so much hope for Jovee’s future. Thank you! 

Chuck DuPrey and Family

February, 2021

On 1/26/2021, Chuck DuPrey went grocery shopping in the morning and when he had gotten home, he wasn't feeling right. He lost all use of his left arm and felt very dizzy and lightheaded. He told his wife, Sarah, that he didn't feel right and to call an ambulance. 

After the ambulance ride to TC-Appleton, which a stroke was originally suspected, they did testing and it was determined he had a mass on his brain. They then made the call and decided he needed to be transferred to TC-Neenah for further testing. With Covid, Sarah and her family were not allowed to be with him but Chuck text messaged Sarah through the day/night to keep her in the loop of what test was being performed next to the best of his knowledge. They knew with it getting so late they wouldn't get answers until the morning. They also found suspicious areas on his gallbladder and thyroid which turned out to be negative. Thankfully on January 28th, Chuck was able to come home.

They put him on an oral steroid and a anti seizure medication because the swelling in his brain was quite large. Chuck and Sarah then prepared for their appointment with the Neurosurgeon on Monday February 1st to discuss the next plan of action. The ultimate plan was to go in for surgery on February 4th to remove this tumor in his brain and further determine what it is. Fast forwarding, Chuck's surgery on February 4th took just about 4 hours. They received news that no one wants to hear. The tumor may be an Adenocarcinoma but they will need to wait for pathology results which took a bit under a week to get back. Good news is they believe they got all of the tumor.

After receiving the pathology results on February 8th, it was determined Chuck does have a Stage 4 Adenocarcinoma. What this means is they are trying to find out where else the cancer is in his body right now. Next step is to do a bone marrow biopsy February 11th, due to his platelets continuously dropping. He will also undergo a Gastroscopy. He is also undergoing P.T. to get some strength back in his legs and body from his brain surgery.

This is a family that would do ANYTHING for ANYONE. They would give the shirt off their own back if it meant helping someone else. Anyone that knows this family, knows that. Chuck, Sarah, Hannah, Ethan, and Devin need our help more than ever right now. Chuck was the main provider for his family and the financial burden of that alone is hard to swallow. They may have a long road ahead of them but Chuck is ready to fight and kick cancers a$$!!!