Let me introduce myself. My name is Greg Hayner, and I have recently been diagnosed with oropharyngeal cancer. Because our hometown doesn't offer specialized treatment for this specific form of cancer, I have been referred to receive treatment at Baylor in Houston, Tx.  This is about a 6 hour drive from our home. I will be receiving approximately 7 weeks of radiation and chemotherapy, so we will be looking for short stay housing in Houston for this time period with many follow-up appointments later.

I am self-employed with a major medical policy that leaves a lot of out of pocket to bear. My wife, Jennifer, is a full-time homemaker and home schools our son, John, who just turned 11yr old a few months ago. Our daughters, both independent young adults, live somewhat nearby and are helping to care for my 87yr old mother (who lives with us), manage our household, pets, etc, and on top of that also trying to support my business in my absence. But they have their own lives to keep up with as well – Alyson is self-employed and in the process of growing her business, Ashlee is married with a 9mo old active boy as well as a full-time student at ULM. In addition to the physical support they're providing, they've also setup a GoFundMe to try to help financially too.  It's not easy for either of them, but they are really helping a lot!!!

Unfortunately, we have not been able to qualify for any of the free or subsidized housing options we've found primarily due to the waiting list (my treatments are scheduled to begin Dec 5th), as well as the concern that many of them don't allow children. Our wish is to have John with us in Houston if at all possible, in order to continue his schooling, but especially since the treatments will run directly through Christmas and New Year.

With all of that said, many people have reached out to us to ask how they can help during this difficult time. Above all else, we ask for your prayers, but we decided to reach out for monetary support to help us with the financial burdens that we are now unexpectedly faced with. If you feel compelled to contribute, please do so generously. And please feel free to post and share this with others who may choose to contribute as well.

Thank you for your support and encouragement,

Greg Hayner

Original Public FB Post, 11/17/2023:

Hey Guys, here's an 'official' update: The first biopsy results came back. The diagnosis is squamous cell carcinoma of the oropharynx (oral, base of tongue). This is good news in the fact that it is the more treatable head neck cancer. The lung CT showed the lungs to be clear. We are pretty certain the left lymph nodes are affected and concerned the right side is as well. The biopsy we did today will shed light on that and will clarify the stage of the disease (2 or 3) as well as amount of treatment necessary. Our next step is a PET scan to make sure that there is no cancer anywhere else in the body. Optimism and educated assumptions seem to imply we're likely in the clear since its not showing up in the lungs. Sadly, Monroe can't get to it until mid December so we will have another trip back to Houston since we need it sooner than that. ... We now start the process to find temporary housing - there are a thousand options to sort through. Treatment has been confirmed to start December 5 and will consist of 33 radiation therapy treatments, 5 days a week over about 6.5 weeks. Chemo will be infused in conjunction with radiation either once weekly, or a double dose every other week (yet to be determined exactly). Then the recovery period afterwards is expected to be anywhere from 3 to 6 months of unpleasant discomfort & yuckiness. ... The facility here is amazing and we love all of the doctors and support teams that are taking care of us. Glad we decided to come to Baylor. We will not enjoy being away from home that long but definitely feel like this was the best decision for us. ... your prayers are appreciated and we look forward to next Spring when this should all be behind us. Please don't feel the need to respond, comment, message or call ... I just feel the need to share openly with some who may not be in the know. If anyone wants to help, Alyson Hayner and Ashlee Fryday will work on getting a 'Go Fund Me' setup. Thanks, Greg Hayner.