‘Cancer sucks’

MOSES LAKE — “Cancer sucks.”

That’s what it says on the new cancer survivor’s ribbon tattoo on Moses Lake Police Chief Kevin Fuhr’s abdomen, which he got recently after having surgery to have his gallbladder and surrounding cancerous tissues removed.

“I went in for my annual physical, which I do every year, and while I was having my physical, when the bloodwork came back, they noticed I had a liver number that was off the charts. Very high,” Fuhr said.

To determine the cause of the anomalous test, Fuhr’s physician sent him to get an ultrasound, which was shortly followed by a CT scan. That, unfortunately, was followed by a diagnosis of a rare type of gallbladder cancer. Fuhr then contacted the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center in the Seattle area on the recommendation of a local doctor whom he trusted and was put in contact with Dr. Lindsay Hannan, an oncologist at Fred Hutch — a common nickname for the clinic — to get a prognosis and look at options for treatment.

“The prognosis I was given was six to 12 months that I would more than likely be dead,” Fuhr said. “My wife and I kind of spiraled a little bit for a few days after that. I called my family and started making preparations for life insurance and stuff like that.”

After a few days of making those preparations, though, Fuhr said he and his wife, Emily Fuhr, had a change of attitude.

“We decided that, you know what, this isn’t a death sentence. We’re going to fight until we can’t fight anymore,” Fuhr said.

The couple went back to Hannan and asked for a treatment plan that would give them the chance to fight that they were looking for, he said. In due order, he spoke with a surgeon, Dr. Jonathan Sham, about treatment options. After examining Fuhr’s situation and seeing that the cancer had metastasized in the area near his gallbladder, Sham said he felt it would be irresponsible to take a chance on the surgery.

Treatments like chemotherapy that Hannan had him on worked well though, and Fuhr’s situation improved.

“I went from a cancer marker number of 168,000 — and that number, anything over 54 is abnormal — I was at 168,000 when the first set of bloodwork came up. The last set of bloodwork I had, (that number was seven),” Fuhr said.

Fuhr said treatment was easier than that for a sarcoma on his calf about 13 years ago. Steroids actually allowed him to maintain his appetite and he gained a bit of weight during treatment. He had less fatigue than he’d expected and none of his hair fell out. All vast improvements over the past decade and change, he said.

Improvements in Fuhr’s condition got him to a point that Sham was willing to perform surgery to remove the gallbladder and affected surrounding tissues.

Now that the surgery is completed, Fuhr said he’s traveling to Wenatchee every weekday morning for radiation therapy. Doctors now tell him that his chance of survival isn’t six to 12 months, but rather three to five years, with a 20% chance of living beyond that. A chance he hadn’t expected to see at first.

During his treatment, Fuhr said he’s had a great deal of support from his wife, daughter Jordan Fuhr, the community, and officers and staff at MLPD. Despite also being interim city administrator, president of the Moses Lake School Board and a dad and husband, Fuhr said his energy levels have been good while he’s in treatment and everyone has been understanding. His treatment has even been mild enough that he’s missed no work outside of a bit of time to go in for actual treatments. He’s generally felt well, he said, and his care team has monitored his lab results closely to ensure he stays that way.

The next part of the challenge Fuhr said he’s facing is participating in Obliteride, Fred Hutch’s fundraiser to support research into cancers like his. Fuhr said the goal isn’t to find a cure for him, but to help ensure the next generation of folks who get cancer — especially children and young people — have a fighting chance at a long, high-quality life.

A duplicate event to Obliteride will be held in Moses Lake Saturday at 9 a.m., starting at the Moses Lake Police Department. MLPD staff and officers organized the event and Fuhr said he’ll be walking in it while others may ride or walk as they prefer. Proceeds will go to Fred Hutch to help them find better treatments — and hopefully an eventual cure — for the cancers they are researching.

“For those that want to ride, they can ride. For those that want to walk, they can walk, and we’re going to replicate what’s happening in Seattle on Saturday morning here in Moses Lake,” Fuhr said.

R. Hans “Rob” Miller may be reached via email at editor@cvolumbiabasinherald.com. A resident of Ephrata, he lives there with his wife and their three dogs.

Want to get involved?

The community is welcome to join the Moses Lake Police Department for their local version of the Obliteride fundraising event. Those who would like to walk or ride may do so by showing up prior to 9 a.m. at the Moses Lake Police Department on Saturday. The office is located at 411 S. Balsam St. in Moses Lake.

To send a monetary donation to Fred Hutch to support cancer research there, visit the hospital’s donation portal at: bit.ly/No2Cncr.

Locally, many patients are helped by the Columbia Basin Cancer Foundation. To support the Foundation’s work, donations may be sent to:

CBCF

1031 W. Broadway Ave.

Moses Lake, WA 98837

509-764-4644