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SALT LAKE CITY — When Nate and Kacee Houle and their 1-year-old son, Ames, moved to Salt Lake City this summer, they were hoping for good things ahead.
After having been recently laid off as an assistant track and cross-country coach at Southern Utah University, Nate accepted a job in a new field. He was excited for the prospect of earning a full-time salary with benefits with which he could support his young family.
Late in the summer, however, Nate got sick with a cold. Thinking it was a bad sinus infection, he went to the doctor to get some antibiotics and was sent home with just that, and the encouragement that things should get better.
But when things didn"t improve, and were in fact getting worse, Nate went back to the doctor to see if there was perhaps more than just an infection. At the time of this visit, the entire left side of Nate's face had swelled, and just by looking at him, the doctor decided that he needed to order some tests, particularly a CT scan and MRI.
"The CT scan came back showing his whole maxillary sinus full of, what the doctor said, 'junk,'" Kacee wrote on the family blog. "We were all hopeful that this was in fact just a really bad sinus infection and his whole maxillary sinus was full of snot and 'junk.' However with Nate's more serious symptoms, the doctor ordered an MRI. The MRI came back showing that the junk was actual tissue (aka tumor) and it had protruded through three of his bones (into his eye socket, his septum and going down towards his teeth)."
Within the next couple of days, Nate underwent surgery. Following the three-hour procedure, the couple was told that this type of thing was not usually cancerous but that more tests needed to be taken in order to know for sure. They were sent home worried but hopeful that things would be fine.
This has been a difficult year for us. But we have already seen an outpouring of support from family and friends. We have been so overwhelmed with the charity of others.
–Kacee Houle, Nate's wife
"Nate is as fit and healthy as they come," Kacee said. "We had confidence in his health, and didn"t feel like there was really any cause for concern."
That all changed with an early morning phone call the following Monday, when the two were asked to meet at the doctor"s office.
As Nate and Kacee sat across from the doctor, the words they heard, were not what the young couple were prepared for: "Nate has cancer."
A healthy, 29-years-old man, Nate was diagnosed with local stage 4 squamous cell carcinoma.
While the family is grateful that the cancer has not yet spread, where the cancer is will mean that the doctors will have to remove a good portion of the left side of Nate's face. This includes all the muscles and bones that make up his cheek, his upper jaw, all of his molars and the roof of his mouth. There is a 90 percent chance doctors will have to remove his left eye with all of its surrounding muscles and skin.
With Nate not yet a full-time employee at his work, he is unable to put in the hours to support his family.
"This has been a difficult year for us," Kacee said. "But we have already seen an outpouring of support from family and friends. We have been so overwhelmed with the charity of others."
On the morning of Oct. 27, Budget plumbing donated its TV segment, set to air on ABC 4, to help the Houle family.
Family and friends have created a Facebook page they have called "Team DomiNATE," where they have set up a fundraising account* and have also organized a 5K fundraiser that will be held to support the family on Nov. 15.
To see how you can help, go to the Team DomiNATE Facebook page.
*KSL.com has not verified the accuracy of the information provided with respect to the account nor does KSL.com assure that the monies deposited to the account will be applied for the benefit of the persons named as beneficiaries. If you are considering a deposit to the account you should consult your own advisors and otherwise proceed at your own risk.
Arianne is a mother to six young children. Her down time is spent running the mountain trails of the Wasatch Mountains and beyond. Contact her at ariannebrown1@gmail.com, follow her on Twitter @arimom6 or search her Facebook page, "A Mother's Write."
