I'm 38 years old, and I'm the breadwinner for our family of five. My wife is disabled, and we have three children, our daughters are 15 and 11, and our son is 7 with level 3 autism.
In late July, after dealing with health issues over the last eight months, a lymph node biopsy revealed that I have T-Cell Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma. I'm now in the care of three doctors, my family doctor and two oncologists, and I've already had almost a dozen appointments and procedures as we prepare for Chemotherapy.
I've undergone continuous blood tests, PET scans, MRIs, ultrasounds, CT scans, biopsies, and physical exams. My upcoming chemotherapy treatment will be anywhere from 8 to 16 weeks in duration. Because of the specific gene variant of my Lymphoma my chemotherapy is going to be very aggressive and intense requiring hospitalization for 5 days at at time every 3 weeks. I am set to begin, and my 1st admission to Baptist hospital will be no later than the week of September 28th.
At this point I have had to step back from my job due to my declining health. My employer was very compassionate and understanding and assured me that if all goes well and I fully recover they will gladly allow me to return to work. I pray everyday that I am able to do just that as soon as possible. Unfortunately I had recently switched jobs prior to my diagnosis and I wasn't with my last employer long enough to qualify for short term disability benifits or FMLA.... My family will soon be in a very serious financial situation.
With my focus on treatment and recovery, our family is facing significant financial strain. We're raising funds simply to get by and keep our home while I'm unable to work during this extended treatment and recovery period.
I am only seeking enough to cover our rent and basic utilities for the next few months while we try to navigate our new reality.
Your support would mean so much to our family during this time.
