Burwick Family Health Update - Feb. 1, 2025
Hey, everyone! Kirstyn here with an update on my Dad’s health and how we’re doing.
If you’re reading this, you either know a little bit of how our lives have been going or you have no idea and are curious. Either way, thank you for your love and care for our family that you would choose to read this; and praise the Lord for the community He has provided us in this season!
So, for context, back in late September to early October, my Dad, Bryan, went through various tests and scans to figure out why he’d been having some digestive issues and was diagnosed with stage-4 colon cancer–spreading to a couple other spots in his body – liver and lung. After the initial shock, my mom, Kelley, joined him as he visited with an oncologist and a surgeon to hear the options they would provide for his case. Of course, the doctors offered standard-care procedures which included chemotherapy treatments to shrink the mass in his colon followed by surgery to get the rest of it out, and then more chemo treatments. With time, research, and deep prayer and consideration, they decided to look into more naturopathic treatments.
Dad found a few recent peer-reviewed medical studies with different protocols that aren’t as intense as chemotherapy and focus more on immunotherapy. One of the cons of this direction is that the studies are not FDA-approved, so insurance was not going to cover the cost of treatments. I won’t get into all the details, but if you’re interested in learning more about these studies, the links will be on another page on this site.
In November, Dad started going through treatment cycles, and Mom would take him to a clinic every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday to receive these treatments. He changed his diet to a more ketogenic diet, prioritizing his protein and fat intake, and cutting out any carbs and sugars to avoid feeding the cancer cells. At the same time, he was taking multiple supplements for other vitamins and nutrients he needed, as well as some of the other medicines from the studies. We weren’t exactly sure what was working and what wasn’t, and the list of supplements seemed to change every day–taking one thing on one day but not the next.
Fast forward to two weeks ago (1/19), Mom took Dad to the ER just up the street from us because he hadn’t been feeling well all weekend and wasn’t getting better. They took scans and bloodwork and found the mass in his colon had grown from 7cm to 10cm, causing an obstruction, so he was moved to a hospital to talk to some surgeons about their suggested method to remove the tumor. The following Tuesday, Dad went into a resection surgery where they successfully removed the section of his colon with the primary tumor in it. He spent another 8 days in the hospital for his recovery as the nurses and doctors were checking his vitals, balancing his nutrient levels, and helping him get up and move around.
Dad has been home since Wednesday afternoon (1/29) and has been recovering slowly, but surely. A couple of physical therapists will be visiting him at home to help him move healthily and regain some strength in his body post-surgery. As for the next steps in treatment for some of the other cancer spots, it seems like a good time to re-evaluate, but no decisions have been made yet about which direction to take. Some follow-up appointments have been made for this upcoming week to–hopefully–help determine next-steps; so, prayers, ultimately for healing from our God who is the Great Physician, also for wisdom and guidance from the Holy Spirit are appreciated. We will be making decisions day-by-day as his strength and progress are being evaluated by the PTs and doctors.
No part of this has been easy for any of us–I think we all agree on that, but through all of this, the Lord has been kind, faithful, and near. We’ve seen His provision in our lives financially, spiritually, and physically through community and the ways His strength and power was revealed in our weaknesses. We’ve seen Him show up in our friends, family, and church communities; we’ve seen Him working in the little, everyday movements of our lives; and we’ve seen Him bringing us closer to Himself and each other as a family. I see the Lord’s tender heart in the way my mom takes care of my dad. I see His love and pursuit of us when Nathon and Vanessa drive almost an hour west to spend hours with us playing games, eating, and talking. I see His grace in the way Hayden and my friends show up to pray and worship with us, and to encourage us in the good and bad. I see the beauty in the Body of Christ in how our church communities show up for our family and give their time in prayer, cooking, visiting, and encouragement to support us.
So, thank you to all who’ve been walking with us on this journey. Thank you for all of your prayers and love for our family. Thank you to those who have brought us food or provided gift cards to various places. Thank you to those who’ve come to visit and talk with my mom and dad, and to encourage them–for investing in them. Thank you to those who’ve sat with Hayden, Nathon, Vanessa, and me, and for giving us the space to process and point us back to the Lord. Thank you to my grandparents who’ve helped my mom in taking dad to his appointments and allowing her to go to work and get out of the house. Thank you to my Uncle Mike for spending a couple of days in AZ with us and fixing some things around our house to help Dad. Thank you to my Aunt Jen for caring for us by helping us clear out and clean some things around the house, and bringing meals when she can. Thank you to my Aunt Tera for loving us from California and setting up a Meal Train site as my mom and dad focus on his recovery. The list can go on and on, so thank you all–even if you just found out a couple of days ago, or reading this post–for showing us the importance of leaning on our community; we’re beyond grateful and blessed to have such loving friends and family all over the world.
As I mentioned above, my Aunt Tera set up a Meal Train site for people to help out one way or another. So, if you would like to help in a physical way, you can donate to help us with some medical expenses and other expenses (i.e. groceries, food, home, etc.), you can donate money or gift cards on the website. If you are local and would like to provide meals for our family, you can sign up for a slot there, as well. If there’s any way you feel led to help, please reach out to any of us and ask. Follow this link for the Burwick Family Meal Train.
Another way to help is through prayer. Pray for Dad's healing–whether miraculous or through the work of doctors and healthcare providers. Pray for strength and patience, both physically and spiritually for all of us as we navigate recovery and whatever method we choose. Also, pray for wisdom from the Lord as we make decisions about processes and treatments.
We will do our best to update as much as possible on this website that Nathon put together, so you can subscribe here to stay updated. In the meantime, if you have any questions or would like to chat, you can reach out to any of us.
We love you all and are so grateful for your love and support in this season of life.
Sincerely,
The Burwick Family