Faces of Blue: Kendra Hunt

Editor’s note: Kendra was kind enough to share Greg’s writings with us. The paragraphs in italics are his excerpts.

My husband was 37 years old when he was diagnosed with stage IV colon cancer. We had no idea what it was; we just knew stage IV couldn’t be good. Three weeks prior to the diagnosis, he had been battling a terrible cough. He went to the doctor a few times, took antibiotics, but the cough just wouldn’t go away. Long story short, after several doctor visits, x-rays, fluid drained from lungs, and a biopsy, the conclusion was cancer. It knocked us off of our feet.

Have you ever sat down and thought about all the significant dates in your life? Birthdays, anniversaries, graduations, victories, and losses etc. What is so significant about that particular date? Is it the chain of events leading up to that date, the day itself or the series of events that happened after that date? It makes you think doesn’t it? Well, for me that date is 12-15-14. The day I was sitting in a place I had never sat, listening to someone I had never met, ready to receive news I never really wanted to ever hear. But on this day, my life as I knew it would change forever. After a long stressful three weeks of medical testing, who would have thought that 12-15-14, this day, would become one of my significant dates?

As me and my wife, brother, and parents sat cramped in a warm 10’x12′ exam room patiently waiting for the doctor, nothing could have prepared me for what I would hear next. “Greg, the series of test and scans reveal that you have stage IV colon cancer,” said the doctor of hematology/oncology. This was both a surprise to me and everyone in that room. 

Especially considering I have no family history of colon cancer nor was experiencing any symptoms associated with colon problems. On top of that I am only 37 years old and for someone my age, this type of cancer is rare. Regardless, 12-15-14 would become my date. A date that I will never forget.

It took us several days to process the information. Greg was pretty healthy; only dealt with allergy problems, never smoked, hardly ever drank, so how in the world did he have cancer in his colon, liver, and lungs?!? We were so ignorant to cancer.

Greg owned a local real estate company and volunteered on several boards in our town. We made the decision to make his battle public because we didn’t want anyone else to be blindsided by this terrible disease. We began an online campaign with the hashtag #ghprayfightwin. Greg began to blog his experience and we were overwhelmed with the response and the amount of support we received.

For the past several days, my wife and I have wrestled with how or whether we tell all our kids, church family, friends, and associates of our news and plan for moving forward. After much deliberation, we have chosen to publicly fight this battle. Our fight will be two fold in that we want to bring about awareness and be an encouragement to others who have, are, and will be battling this terrible disease. So I would like to extend an invitation for you to join me in this fight. No RSVP or registration is required, just an open heart, prayer, and unfeigned desire to win. Can I count on you?

People wanted to join the fight against colon cancer, so we had to take the campaign further to raise awareness. People wanted to do something! We hosted a few “fight” parties to share Greg’s story and local doctors participated in sharing information to prevent colon cancer. Through the #ghprayfightwin campaign, we were able to provide meals and additional financial support to other families that were being affected by colon cancer.

So what’s next you may ask??? Through our efforts last month, we discovered that so many battling colon cancer often times have their most basic needs go forgotten or overlooked after several rounds of treatment. One of those being meal and food preparation. I know firsthand that during treatment week it can be literal “hell” on the patient and the caregiver. Fortunately, I have supporters who have sacrificed resources to ensure we get meals, so we can have a sense of normalcy for that 2-3 day period.

Unfortunately, there are so many others who do not have this resource. So we will be devoting our efforts over the next few weeks towards raising meals for colon cancer patients and their families during their treatment week. It’s the #GHPrayFightWin “Fight Food” campaign. This will be a gift card campaign where donors can purchase $25-$50 gift cards to an eatery of their choosing then get to our fight team and we will be distributing those cards to “fighters” throughout the coming weeks. If you are looking for a way to continue to support and impact the lives of others, join us in our “Fight Food” campaign. Help us reach our goal of 75 meals!

Greg stayed strong throughout his journey. He continued to advocate by attending events and even sharing his story on an Arkansas radio station and being featured in local newspapers and magazines. He passed away 11 months and 15 days after his diagnosis, while on vacation. He kept moving and lived well until the very end. He always said, “I’ll rest when I die.” His journey touched so many lives and we all are better people for having known such a great person! I am so proud to be his wife.

So I want to take this opportunity to express my sincere appreciation for someone in particular who has been there for me formerly nearly 10 years. Been there for me in all of my health and now in all of my sickness. That person being my beloved wife, mother of my children, and her newly appointed title that I gave her, my “caregiver”. My wife, Kendra N. Hunt. I know she is going to hate that I used that title and is probably going to scream when she sees it. Every year for the past 10 years at least once or twice a year we have a serious discussion about being tested as a couple, being challenged as a couple. Wondering how we would respond in the time of tragedy or adversity. We have been so blessed over the years to have this conversation for years and in a sense it was only a figment of our imagination. Well about two months ago as you know it finally got real and we are now being tested. We both have now come to the realization that “this is it.”

RETURN TO FACES OF BLUE  LEARN MORE ABOUT COLON CANCER

Get Your Rear in Gear - Arkansas