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During the summer of 2022, Wayne began experiencing digestive issues and pain. It was totally out of the blue, and thinking nothing of it as most of us would do, he continued working and living life as normal. But the symptoms persisted and continued to get worse until on August 5, 2022 he went to the ER at McLeod. After a few tests were run, the “atomic bomb” dropped on him and our family. We heard the C-word that our family had not heard since Wayne’s father – Ken – was diagnosed many years ago. Wayne had surgery on August 9, 2022 with the intent on removing the tumor in his colon, but the surgeon elected not to remove it because the cancer had spread beyond the colon.

Fast forward a few weeks, and after further testing, scans and appointments with his oncologist, it was confirmed…..Wayne has Stage IV colorectal cancer with a tumor the size of a grapefruit that has spread to his bladder and liver (6 – 7 lesions have been found). His treatment plan calls for an undetermined amount (at this point) of chemotherapy treatments which were originally scheduled to begin on October 11, 2022. However his treatments had to be postponed due to suffering an unexpected absess in his incision area. Emergency surgery was performed to clean the area. After a few more weeks of recovery, Wayne was finally able to begin his chemo on November 7, 2022, with treatments recurring every 2 weeks. The plan with chemo is to shrink the tumor so that surgery can be performed to remove the tumor. It is possible that more chemo and radiation will be needed after surgery. So while the journey to healing for Wayne has already been a rollercoaster, it is thankfully underway.

I know that many of you who are reading this have walked or are currently walking this same journey. It is amazing how many lives are touched by cancer. For Wayne, life has drastically changed for him in the span of a few months. Physically, he has lost a lot of weight, and suffers from fatigue, headaches, and loss of strength & appetite. So far though, he is tolerating the chemo with minimal side effects. And he is able to eat more and has recently gained some much needed weight. We are so thankful for this!! Emotionally, he & the family have been forced to think about things that most 43 year olds don’t even consider….things that I haven’t given thought to.

Wayne is not able to work right now and we don’t expect that he will be able to return to work for quite some time. But with the help of a very good Social Worker at McLeod Hospital in Florence, we have been able to get some financial help for Wayne. We are very grateful for that. But it won’t be enough to cover the high expenses of the treatments he will need now and in the future, as well as to continue to support his family.

In spite of all that is happening to my family, we know that God loves us and He always provides what we need. We don’t always understand why things like this happen. But He promises us that if we step out in faith, He will be there to see us through this. We are a God loving family, and we stand on this promise as we walk this journey with Wayne. We know that many of you believe that too.

If God leads you to stand with us on this journey, we will be eternally grateful for any help you can give.

To Make A TAX-DEDUCTIBLE Donation

Our family's home church is First Church of God in Darlington, SC.  Their website is www.fcgdarlington.net.  Debbie Anderson, whom you all know is my niece and Rick Strickland Band member, is the Church Secretary there. The church will be receiving a love offering for Wayne &  his family on December 18, 2022. 100% of each donation will go directly to Wayne. You can make a tax deductible donation as follows:

1. By Cash or Check:  Make check payable to First Church of God, and in the Memo line write in Wayne Smothers. Mail check to First Church of God – 620 N. Main St. – Darlington SC 29532. Debbie will receive your donation and will send you a tax document.

1. By Credit Card:  Go to our church website at https://fcgdarlington.churchcenter.com/giving. The giving portal is PC and mobile device friendly. Enter your donation amount. From the drop down menu, select Love Offering/Wayne Smothers Family. Be sure to complete the rest of the form so that you will receive your tax document.

The Love Offering option will remain open indefinitely on the church’s website so that you can donate beginning December 18 and beyond. Likewise, any cash or check donations will gladly be accepted at any time.

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