Meet Tory, Our Featured August Guest
My name is Tory Reed, and in the fall of 2022, I was diagnosed with stage two pancreatic cancer at the age 62.
Upon receiving the news, I thought to myself this can’t be happening to me at such a young age (in my mind). When I told my family and friends, they immediately thought it was a death sentence. But ironically, I never thought I would die from the disease. It may have been denial, but I think it served me well to have a positive outlook.
I am a military veteran living in the Raleigh/Durham area receiving care at the local VA. On my first visit to my oncologist, I asked if my treatment would be done by the fall of next year since I had a vacation planned to go to Egypt and Dubai. My doctor looked at me and told me to go get my money back…that I probably would be in no condition to travel like that.
Well, that was a sobering thought and not a very positive outlook. My wife immediately said we’re going to get a second opinion. She then contacted a couple of doctors' offices that specialized in cancer treatment and, of course, MD Anderson was on the top of the list.
Fortunately, for me, they said they would see me.
Now, we needed to get to Houston and find a place to stay. We made our way to Houston and stayed in several of the local hotels costing us hundreds of dollars. We were fortunate in that we could afford the trip at the time but once MD Anderson said, “yes, [we will] take [you] on as a patient”, we now needed to figure out a long term plan for future visits…
I elected to take chemo locally with the Durham VA, but my primary care was through MD Anderson. I needed a place to stay every three months for follow up visits to Houston and then I needed to stay a month for surgery prep and recovery. That’s when I was introduced to The Reaumond Foundation’s Homes of Hope.
Homes of Hope was awesome in that they answered the really big question I needed as part of my care: Where am I going to stay during my visits, and how can we afford it? Homes of Hope answered all of it. They provided a place close to the hospital and clean facilities, private and secure at a fraction of the cost it would have been in any hotel…and right down the street from the hospital! Homes of Hope not only provided a place I could stay but a condo where my family could stay with me and assist in my care!
Homes of Hope has been our home away from home and still is! They have been there since the beginning of my treatments. Because of them, there is no anxiety in asking, where we are going to stay or how we are going to afford this. I don’t ask the question where we will stay this time. Being positive during your treatment is so important! Homes of Hope helps me stay positive! When we arrived at the condo, previous patients left words of encouragement from all over the country and world. It was so touching to read their messages!
I just returned from my 3-year check-up where no evidence of the disease was found in my
CT-scan! Looking back I don’t know where I would be without the assistance of Homes of Hope. I’m sure something would have come up but financially, mentally, emotionally I would be a different person. I have peace of mind and confidence in my team…my whole team with Homes of Hope as a vital part of it. I am so thankful for the people who donate to the cause and the fight! Stay positive! I had a mantra that I and all of my family and friends said everyday. It says, “I am Tory Reed. My body is a super human healing machine. My body is coming into balance and healing as I speak. I am thankful for this healing and I allow…”
This mantra says your body is a “super human” healing machine. Stay positive and confident that you will get through this, and there is something to learn and grow from this trial and tribulation, no matter the outcome! The mantra ends with an open ended statement “I allow…” This means you are open to whatever the universe has for you. Believe it, search out how you can learn from this experience. But always know, you’re not alone!
