Shout out to friends of Mr. Jones (Or anyone who has been affected by cancer…)

[Addieski]

Hey Ballers! My name is Adelaide and I’m new here on the site, (though I have low-key stalked my dad Mr. Jones while using this site for some time.) My dad and Mr. Horton have been friends for years. In fact, my most distinct memory of him was when I was little and visiting Skidawgs house for a tournament. He had just awakened and his hair was like a giant poof… (description of poof: picture cartoon characters hair when dynamite blows up nearby, and you’ll be getting close to his hair…) Anyway, thats a little background on how I know Mr. Horton and who my dad is.

 

I recently decided to post on BOS for something really important to me, my family, and so many others… cancer. Most of y’all know my dad is a very private man, so he kept the fact that he had Non-Hodgkins lymphoma really quiet. He was diagnosed a couple weeks after the 2016 nationals. He has since gone through chemo and is currently in remission! He’s noticeably feeling and looking better, which is a huge relief to me and my family.

 

Because of dad’s cancer, I was nominated to do the Student of the Year fundraising campaign for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS). LLS has a ten week campaign called Man/Woman of the Year, and this is the first year they initiated Student of the Year in our neck of the woods… or should I say bayou. This great organization researches blood cancers and helps patients while they undergo treatment. Mr. Horton was on our list of people who we mailed letters to asking for support. He suggested that I post on BOS to give y’all a chance to donate who we might not have been able to contact otherwise.

 

Dad told me that a number of you guys have been or are currently battling cancer. Please know my prayers are with you. One thing that I’ve learned about LLS is that often times cures or treatments found in blood cancers can be used for other cancers. Hopefully, the money I earn through this campaign not only helps lymphoma like my dads, but others as well.

 

I just want to thank all of you for taking the time to read this, and thank you for your contributions. If you would like to donate, you can do so at the link below.

 

http://pages.mwoy.org/msla/laf18/ajones

 

Thank you,

Addieski

[klindy]

Done! Fighting the fight alongside MrJones and others!!

[Horton]

If all the Ballers donated the cost of just one tank of boat gas.....

[ForrestGump]

Done. Welcome to BOS! I'm sorry you had to see Horton in the morning like that.

[MrJones]

Hey guys. A number of your have already donated by mail and online. We appreciate you all!

 

This is for a great cause and as a selfish dad a tremendous opportunity for my daughter to grow. At 16 I was a complete mess. She's presented her case for donating to LLS to individuals and multinational companies. She's volunteered in clinics treating lymphedema and tomorrow is visiting a children's cancer ward with the other student of the year candidates. (Those of you that know us realize this level of maturity comes from her mother!)

 

Horton's right. A tank of gas is appreciated. Even it's for a lawnmower.

[Bill22]

@Addieski thank you for raising awareness and fundraising for LLS. In September 2017 I was diagnosed with a rare type of Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma (T-cell not B cell). This type is only 2% of all Non-Hodgkin.

 

I would never compare my journey through it to the battle others are fighting. One of the worst parts for me was when the “experts” told me, we have never seen a case like yours. In March my last PET scan was clean and clear!

 

Keep the faith, fight the good fight and I will pray for your dad.

 

@Horton thank you for allowing this post on BOS.

[ThomasAlive]

@Addieski donated! Thanks for sharing your story and what you’re doing to raise awareness. As fellow Lafayette bayou skiers my wife and I are happy to help.

[Chris Rossi]

Done. Happy to help fight cancer. Lost my father to prostate cancer way too young.

[swc5150]

I lost my father to lung cancer just before Christmas, and now about to lose my father-in-law (one of my closest friends) to the same diagnosis. I'm praying for your family and all those who suffer.

[MuskokaKy]

Sending love and support ( and money) from North of the Boarder !! :)

 

@MrJones I'm sure you don't need to be reminded but your daughter is outstanding. As we say up north " Class act all the way"

 

@Chris Rossi @swc5150 your dads will be in my prayers tonight.

[Chad_Scott]

Done!!! Great Cause which effects many.

[Addieski]

Thank you everybody! I really appreciate all that you are doing and your willingness to share your personal stories.

[RichardDoane]

+1, and once again the BOS serves a useful purpose......

[Chef23]

Great cause I am in as well. As someone who fought a tumor in the past (fortunately benign) I appreciate your efforts here.

[MrJones]

I believe I do need to post something here in the vein of the recurring "Have you made your appointment" thread.

 

I noticed swollen lymph nodes three years prior to being diagnosed. The ENT did a CT and basically said "it's probably nothing". I went back to him two years later and said "Hey doc, these things are bigger." Got another "you seem healthy, probably not an issue". About a year after that I went to a different doc and said, "I don't feel right, what's going on?" That lead to blood work and a biopsy with the diagnosis.

 

The truth is that with some slowly progressing diseases it can be easy to miss. I tend to not go to the doc for anything. I though that I was just gettin' old and needed to hit the gym harder. That wasn't working. I clearly remember being so tired at Nationals in Idaho that I was debating whether to go down the levy to watch my daughter ski before my event on the other lake due to how tired I was. Looking back that seems silly, but you really don't know what you don't know.

 

The moral of that story is to get things checked out. Even then, be sure you feel good about the advice you are getting and seek elsewhere if you're not.

[teammalibu]

@MrJones copy that Scot I went to the chiropractor for two weeks for my back pain he was sure he could fix what turned out to be a ruptured colon! Tell Adelaide great job we got her letter!

[Addieski]

Hey guys! Thank you so much for helping me out in my campaign! I have reached my initial goal and I am trying to reach $50,000 so I can get a research grant in honor of my father. If you haven't had the chance to donate, the campaign ends tomorrow. Once again, thank you.

 

My fundraising link- http://pages.mwoy.org/msla/laf18/ajones

[MrJones]

Last call guys. My girl has put in some work over the past 3 months. Any help in finishing strong is appreciated!

[Keith_Menard]

Lost my Mom to Glioblastoma just over a year ago and a half ago. @Horton Tank of gas sent! @Addieski Keep up the good work!

[Alvin_Neff]

Done! Lost my whole family to cancer! I hate Cancer! Awesome work Adelaide!

[ski6jones]

You meet the best families skiing. This is one.

[Bongo]

Done. Good cause.

[Bookm_dano]

Done...Made it in under the wire... Come on folks, just a few hours left!

[MrJones]

I can't thank you guys enough! Just so you know, in the last 24 hours she has received right at 50% as much in donations from the BOS crew as during the entire time since her first post 6 weeks ago. Way to pull through in crunch time!

 

We have 12 hours left.....

[schroed]

Done at last minute. It looks like 15 minutes left. Posting to pop this thread to the top of the forum.

[Addieski]

Hey guys! THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ALL OF YOUR SUPPORT!!! Because of your help, my team and I were able to raise $57,980 for the fight against cancer!!! Words cannot express how thankful I am to y'all! The Waterski community is the bomb!!!

[MrJones]

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I can't thank you all enough for the help that you have been. Adelaide has had some local businesses that were able to make bigger contributions, but the vast majority came from people giving $50 to $200. Our base was definitely "a mile wide".

 

There is strength in numbers. Don't ever think that when opportunities like this come up that a small amount doesn't matter. It does and I thank you....

[klindy]

@Addieski you are amazing!! As a survivor I can't say enough about the effort and incredible ACTION you've taken on behalf of your dad! Everyone affected no matter where or with whatever type of this awful disease will benefit from you! Thank you doesn't seem like enough....Thank you!!

 

Huge thanks also to all those who donated!! It means a lot!!

[MrJones]

Ladies and Gentlemen

Reviving an old thread here. I just reached 5 years from finishing chemo. Had my yearly scans last week and remain cancer free. I am so thankful...

 

Some things mentioned during my visit directly relate to those of you who donated to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. As you may know Non Hodgkins is always there, just monitored and managed. When talking about the future my oncologist said there have been many advances in effective treatment over the past few years. In fact should my cancer return he wasn't sure which option he might choose, but that my long term outlook is excellent!

 

Many times we may donate to a cause and not really see the outcome. Cancer research and treatment is advancing at a tremendous pace, not fast enough in all areas as we know of those on BOS lost to it just since my diagnosis. I do want all who gave to LLS to know that they truly are making differences in lives. Thank you...

[klindy]

I so happy for you @MrJones!! You have an amazing great medical team, tons of supporters in your waterski family and, most important, an amazing family! The effort @Addieski put into action is incredible!

 

As a tangent … the medical technology and protocols available today are advancing at an amazing rate. For my own situation, survival rates in some cases are 10x and more for conditions which were considered dire just 5 years ago. It’s never easy to handle the treatment or the related stress but initiatives like the fundraising effort of @Addieski really has made a difference! Thanks again (personally) and great to be able to get together with @MrJones at the lake!!

[6balls]

@MrJones cancer is really pervasive in its various forms. Just the regulars on this site and their relatives--pretty amazing. My heart goes out to ALL.

 

A few other thoughts from my background:

 

Lung cancer: #1 cancer killer. Both common and deadly

 

Colorectal cancer: #2 cancer killer--sadly preventable in most cases--we have some young deaths but if you just get your colonoscopy screenings...

 

Breast cancer: #3 cancer killer. 1 in 8 women lifetime risk--early detection key--mammograms!

 

Pancreatic cancer: #4 killer, not as common but almost uniformly deadly--not much available for screening. Can get lucky if found by accident.

 

Prostate cancer: #5 killer. Super common--1 of every 7 men lifetime. Death rate not terribly high but so common that a small percentage of a big number is a big number.

 

In other news--top causes of death in the US last year:

 

Heart disease: 696,962

Cancer: 602,350

COVID-19: 350,831

 

Lastly, the three biggest PREVENTABLE triggers of "all cause" morbidity and mortality:

--obesity

--alcohol

--tobacco

 

The obesity epidemic will drive heart disease deaths higher. The association of obesity with diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and a marked increase in risk for heart disease is, in my view, going to be staggering. The healthcare system will be strained in order to pay for all who don't take care of themselves physically.

 

As for covid, regardless of how one feels about vax, virtually all of the hospitalized and dying patients I care for now are unvax. Sure some exceptions, the vax get sick, too--but for the most part not hospitalized or dying--certainly at nowhere near the rate of the unvax.

 

Peace all, and @MrJones so glad you recovered!

 

 

[Luzz]

@MrJones

extremely happy to read this update! A huge hug to all five of you.

[klindy]

@6balls Thanks for the information. Not being a doctor but for having first hand experience, the only thing I’ll add is skin cancers are also common but very controllable IF you catch it early. So it’s critical to get into a regular habit of visiting a dermatologist. Once the cancer grows into the skin about 1mm, it has a high probability of getting into the lymph system which is the gateway to serious complications. Skin cancer is one of the easiest cancers to detect (unlike many of the conditions @6balls described above). It typically only takes a trained eye to see a potential problem.

[6balls]

@klindy agree--the worst being of course malignant melanoma. We have lost some in the ski community to that one, and I lost an uncle who at the time had 6 kids under the age of 10--my folks took our 10 kids and their 6 kids on the annual ski vacation to cabins on Clear Lake in Iowa that year while Leo took treatment. My old man took him up on skis after Leo's leg was amputated, too.

Incredible advances lately in metastatic melanoma--survival going way up. Having said that, best caught as a smal mole before spread.

Derm visits, colonoscopy(or cologuard if appropriate), pap smears/mammograms(women), PSA blood tests(men)--at least try to prevent the ones that are easy to catch early. For smokers who qualify annual lung CT scans.

Outside of cancer--know your numbers--your cholesterol panel, your blood pressure, your glucose at a minimum--remember heart disease is the number one killer.

 

Having said all of that--this thread is about funding cancer research--let's get on it. My family (myself and sibs) and close friends put up over $50K when my bro Jim passed from glioblastoma. Many hands make light work--every bit helps.

[KKelly]

@6balls I had a colonoscopy at 50 but when I turned 55 my doctor had me do the cologuard instead. What are your thoughts on the cologuaed vs colonoscopy?

Kevin

[6balls]

@KKelly for average risk patients--no family history, no personal history, cologuard is a reasonable option.

 

Keep in mind insurance sees this as your "screening" so if it is positive, your follow-up colonoscopy will be considered "diagnostic" and not covered as it would if it were the original "screening test".

 

Colonoscopy is the best test, but cologuard doesn't require prep(laxative), time off of work, or the potential complications(tho rate of same is VERY low) of anesthesia and bowel damage.

 

I generally recommend colonoscopy unless someone is too averse that they won't get colon cancer screening if that is the only option. The advantage of colonoscopy is the removal of precancerous polyps that cologuard may not detect. No precancerous polpys (because they have been removed if present), no colon cancer in your future.

 

I've seen a lot of cologuard positive patients who have negative follow up colonoscopy. It's a long explanation in statistics class, but in an effort to not miss problems cologuard has some false positives that, at times, results in a negative colonoscopy to follow.

 

Cologuard is very popular for obvious reasons, and is an entirely acceptable way to screen for colon cancer in patients who are NOT at high risk.

 

So now make the choice best for you. Hope that helps.

[NameUnavailable]

@6balls Those are the top Cancers and killers, but you left off the one that is close to all of us...

 

Melanoma. I know several water skiers that have died from it.

 

Get your skin checked by a dermatologist...it's quick, easy, and can save your life.

[KRoundy]

Great to see this thread revived and this discussion carried forward. We lost my father-in-law to cancer recently and my best friend lost both of his parents to it as well in 2021, so this really hits me differently now. I echo what everyone above said. Get tested, live right, and love those in your life unashamedly.

[klindy]

@NameUnavailable Mike, as you know melanoma is exactly what I was talking about above too. I combined all “skin cancers”, but ‘The Beast’ is a tough road.

[6balls]

@NameUnavailable I mentioned melanoma specifically a few posts upward--lost my uncle to it. It's not a top 5 cause of cancer death, but it's a nasty one. One of my late brother @Razorskier1 best friends has been duking it out with melanoma for years (I literally can't believe he is still with us--treated at MD Anderson), and I've diagnosed a number of my patients with same.

 

You are correct given our sports sun exposure--it is a big one for the ski community.

[KKelly]

@6balls I appreciate your thoughts. I had the scope at 50 and cologurad at 55. I'm 58 now and I will discuss it with my doctor at my physical. Again I appreciate your thoughts and the information.

Kevin