In October of 2023, I was diagnosed with Myelofibrosis, a rare blood cancer. People with MF have a defect in their bone marrow that results in an abnormal production of blood cells, causing scar tissue (or fibrosis) to form.  Only 1 in 100,000 people have it. 

As soon as I was diagnosed I quit smoking, quit drinking, and was also going through a divorce. The stress level of all that plus the fear of the unknown was unbearable. On top of all that, I was also in the process of rehabbing my house which had termite damage. As rehabs often go, one thing leads to another and I ended up nearly doing a gut rehab. So yeah, lots of stress factors all at once!

For several months I tried to manage the symptoms of the disease with medications, but I got to the point where my red blood cells were dropping so low that I was having to get transfusions every two weeks, and then my red cells would only come up a little bit. The only possible cure was through a bone marrow transplant. Working my regular HVAC job, then working on my house was pretty rough when my energy levels were so low because the disease was destroying my red blood cells. So, in May of 2024 I decided it was time to go for the transplant. Thankfully, my sister, Dawn, was a match, which there is only a 25% chance of that happening. I thought they would use my identical twin brother, but they preferred to not use a twin. I was in the hospital from May 14 thru June 12 of 2024. The very first week I got chemo every day for 6 days. The next day is when I go the donor bone marrow. Things seemed to go pretty well for about two weeks. Then the chemo destroyed the inside of my mouth, throat, and basically my whole digestive system suffered. At that point they kept me heavily medicated due to the pain of all that, and fed me intravenously. That lasted another two weeks. Those symptoms started to heal, and once my white blood cells reached a certain level I was able to go home. I was feeling weak. My blood counts were still low, but they told me that would take time – 6 months to a year.

Meanwhile, behind the scenes while I was in the hospital was an amazing crew making sure my house got finished. My boss from Goldcamp HVAC, family, and friends were all there making sure the house I was rehabbing but not able to finish before the transplant was ready for me to come home to. Since my white cells would be low, I had to be careful not to be exposed to toxins, allergens, germs... all that stuff. They made sure everything was finished, clean and sanitized. They finished 1 day before I came home. What a blessing that was! Coming home to a finished house was the best thing that happened to me in a very long time!

After the transplant I wasn't able to work. My boss graciously helped me out financially with loans. I couldn't taste anything, so eating wasn't much of a thing. I lost too much weight and was threatened by the doctor with a hospital stay for tube feeding. So, I forced myself to eat and eventually gained weight. My taste returned about 2 months later. Yay! You don't realize how important taste is until it's taken away. 

I'm now approaching 1 year from transplant. I've had several bone marrow taps which all show no residual disease at all in my bone marrow. My red blood cells are normal for the first time in years. My white cells are still low but they say that’s because of the anti-rejection drugs. I am just now working to taper off those but it’s not easy when I’ve been taking them for almost a year. The doctors are very happy with my progress. I have one more bone marrow tap in May. I've been told that 2 years is the goal. I if I make it that far without rejecting the donor bone marrow, and without the disease returning, that would be the best-case scenario. 

Financially, things have become desperate. I'm still not working, and I'm looking into collecting social security early. But that will only closely cover my living expenses and not allow me to pay off the medical bills. I have rental property, but for the last two years that was a $500/month negative drain on my finances because my ex was collecting the rent money and not paying the mortgage, to which the lawyer advised me not to do anything about. The divorce became final in March, and I am now able to do fundraising, which the lawyer also had me hold off on until now so I would not have to give a portion of it to her.

Before the disease I was in great financial shape. But this process over the past two years has wreaked havoc on the finances. The medical bills are just starting to come in. Currently I owe about $20,000 and I expect that to go higher since I'm just now getting bills from May of 2024. I owe $6000 to credit cards – using these is definitely not the best option, but sometimes the only way I am able to pay for necessities. 

I don't live extravagantly, it’s the small things in life that make me happy. Like hanging out with family, or fishing with friends. I'm doing this fundraiser because there doesn’t seem to be a way out of this financial hole I've fallen into, and the hole is getting bigger as the bills roll in. I greatly appreciate everything I've already been given by many of you reading this. It's more than I feel I deserve or can ever repay. Unfortunately, I’m not out of the red and it doesn’t feel good to even have to ask for more.

I end this with a huge thank you to the many of you that have been praying for me. It would take another whole story to list the ways God has answered prayer and shown me that he is in this with me. I cannot imagine going through this without Him. He never promised us life would be easy, but He did promise He would be with us through it. And it’s true, He’s been there for me the whole way. I believe your prayers have made a huge impact on my journey this past year. From putting me at the right hospital, with the right doctor, the right timing, my friends and family, my job and my great boss, giving me strength when I had none, giving me peace in a very stressful time… I could go on and on about how I know God has been with me and prepared me such a time as this. Just know I appreciate every prayer!

Thank you everyone for carrying me through the roughest time in my life. I look forward to the day when I'm back on my feet and can return the favor by help those in need.