Julie's Medical Fund
This page tells the latest chapter in the story of my wonderful wife, Julie (DeBevoise)Krasno and our family. There are many joyful chapters that have come before, but this is what we face currently. Julie has Myelofibrosis, a progressive bone marrow cancer that causes an overproduction of cells and scarring of the bone marrow. It is a rare disease that, if not treated, eventually causes complete failure due to fibrosis (scarring) of the bone marrow. For the past 17 years Julie has been treated for the accompanying symptoms with the hope that the onset of severe fibrosis could be delayed as long as possible. Julie's personal goal has always been living long enough to see our two boys (ages 12 and 14) through high school.
Early this year, however, Julie's white blood cell counts rose sharply and her spleen and liver enlarged as those organs make blood cells to supplement the function of her weakening bone marrow. The enlarged spleen became quite painful due to its size and a blood clot that had formed within it. Her local Hematologist informed her that the time had come to have a Bone Marrow, or more accurately, Stem Cell Transplant (SCT). Not wanting to go into this lightly, we also received opinions at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN and MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, TX. Unfortunately, the medical consensus is that there are no other options at this time and we are moving forward with plans for a SCT. Julie will require medication for 3 months prior to SCT in an effort to reduce the level of Blasts, or immature blood cells, found in her marrow.
SCT is a complex process that includes very high doses of chemotherapy to essentially destroy Julie's bone marrow. Once that has occurred, she will receive donor cells with the hope that they will migrate to the bones and take over the function of making blood. The transplant team will manage her condition and attempt to balance the need for the new marrow to take over with the need to prevent attack of her organs by this new replacement immune system.
The BMT is to be performed at the Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, Florida. We will be required to stay within 30 minutes of Moffitt for approximately 3-4 months so that the frequent infections and complications can be tended to quickly. I will be her 24/7 caregiver for that period and will have to take that time off of work. We will be separated from our boys, which is possibly the most painful part of this. We do not yet know if they will be staying in Orlando with a rotating shift of volunteer relatives, or transferring schools to stay in Tampa, but visits with them will be limited due to the need to protect Julie's fragile immune system.
All of this will happen while trying to maintain our household in Orlando, and at the same time, having limited working hours for 3-4 months. I am grateful to my coworkers (Thanks Andy, Ron and Bryan) for offering to work my projects while I am away. Although insurance will pay the majority of the hospital and doctor bills, other costs will be more than we can absorb. Including medications and travel to see specialists, we have already spent over $15,000 on medical expenses this year alone, and the BMT process is not yet started. Additional costs will include the cost of a hospital-approved residence ($3,000 per month) near Moffitt that has been cleaned to meet their standards, portions of medical costs not paid by our health insurance (I am told the total cost of a SCT transplant of this type is approximately $800,000 with insurance paying most of that), travel between Tampa and Orlando and I am sure many things I cannot forsee. 
Although financial help is appreciated from those who are able, our goal is not really a financial one - we are working for a cure. Julie finds great comfort in knowing that many people are praying for her. So please keep the prayers and positive thoughts coming and share this message with your friends. Help Julie reach her ultimate goal of seeing our boys through high school and beyond! To all those that can help financially, we deeply appreciate it. We hope to some day be able to repay the kindness and support we have been receiving. I cannot begin to describe the warmth we feel from the outpouring of support from our family and friends. We truly love and thank you all.
Dan, Julie, Nathan & Noah Krasno
