The Brian Harr Medical Fund
Donation protected
If you are a friend of Brian and/or Karen Harr then you have read about the series of extreme health trials Brian is facing.
Brian has been hit with three MAJOR health issues in a span of about three weeks, starting in mid-March.
1) On Sunday, March 27 Brian was rushed to ER with severe abdominal pain. It turned out to be a rupture in his colon which required emergency surgery on March 30. He was readmitted to the hospital shortly after his discharge with a high fever and stayed two more days in the hospital before being sent home with a PICC line which was used to self-administer IV antibiotics three times a day for two weeks and that ended April 21. He was out of work for a month and is now back for one week, but is still recovering before the next storm.
2) Brian has had pain in his neck and his arms since Christmas 2015, which was inexplicable since he had already undergone a major spinal surgery in 2014 to combat just such a problem. An MRI in early March revealed he would need a follow-up spinal fusion surgery on the adjacent disc. That surgery was set for April 21, but when he had the emergency surgery to repair his ruptured colon, the spinal surgery was pushed to next Thursday, May 5. The recovery for this surgery in 2014 was 10 weeks. This time, however, the neurosurgeon wants Brian off of work for 12 full weeks.
3) In mid-March when they did an MRI to figure out why he was having pain in his neck and arms, they spotted a lesion at the C1 level of his spine. This was concerning to the radiologist and the neurosurgeon and triggered a massive series of tests, including a PET scan. That scan showed four "hot spots” that were consistent with myeloma, a plasma cell cancer. A bone marrow biopsy confirmed Brian has cancer. Myeloma is not curable but it is highly treatable. Brian will start chemotherapy about three weeks after the spinal surgery, approximately the beginning of June. Brian will be starting chemotherapy while he is still recovering from spinal surgery, which will be a very difficult time. The first stage of Brian's cancer treatment is the induction phase of chemotherapy and it will last for 3-4 months. Stem cell replacement therapy would follow that and take place at the City of Hope in September or October and will be at least a three-week hospital stay not including recovery time at home.
As long-time friends of Brian and Karen Harr, we are setting up this Go Fund Me page to raise money to help offset the serious financial hardships this series of health trials is bringing. Brian’s disability will run out and then his vacation and sick time will run out - long before he is well enough to go back to work. He will not only have his regular monthly financial obligations to meet, but the full copayment of his monthly health insurance as well as prescription and cancer treatment costs too. Please help support this wonderful family during their time of extreme trial. If we can raise enough money to support them through this trial Brian will be able to fully focus his attention on getting well. They have three sweet children ages 6 and younger. Karen is a full-time mom who home-schools their oldest child while caring for all of the practical needs of the family. As Brian recovers from these surgeries and treatments, she will be stretched very thin as she cares for him and for their young children. No donation is too small, please show your love and support and most of all, please PRAY for all of them!
Brian has been hit with three MAJOR health issues in a span of about three weeks, starting in mid-March.
1) On Sunday, March 27 Brian was rushed to ER with severe abdominal pain. It turned out to be a rupture in his colon which required emergency surgery on March 30. He was readmitted to the hospital shortly after his discharge with a high fever and stayed two more days in the hospital before being sent home with a PICC line which was used to self-administer IV antibiotics three times a day for two weeks and that ended April 21. He was out of work for a month and is now back for one week, but is still recovering before the next storm.
2) Brian has had pain in his neck and his arms since Christmas 2015, which was inexplicable since he had already undergone a major spinal surgery in 2014 to combat just such a problem. An MRI in early March revealed he would need a follow-up spinal fusion surgery on the adjacent disc. That surgery was set for April 21, but when he had the emergency surgery to repair his ruptured colon, the spinal surgery was pushed to next Thursday, May 5. The recovery for this surgery in 2014 was 10 weeks. This time, however, the neurosurgeon wants Brian off of work for 12 full weeks.
3) In mid-March when they did an MRI to figure out why he was having pain in his neck and arms, they spotted a lesion at the C1 level of his spine. This was concerning to the radiologist and the neurosurgeon and triggered a massive series of tests, including a PET scan. That scan showed four "hot spots” that were consistent with myeloma, a plasma cell cancer. A bone marrow biopsy confirmed Brian has cancer. Myeloma is not curable but it is highly treatable. Brian will start chemotherapy about three weeks after the spinal surgery, approximately the beginning of June. Brian will be starting chemotherapy while he is still recovering from spinal surgery, which will be a very difficult time. The first stage of Brian's cancer treatment is the induction phase of chemotherapy and it will last for 3-4 months. Stem cell replacement therapy would follow that and take place at the City of Hope in September or October and will be at least a three-week hospital stay not including recovery time at home.
As long-time friends of Brian and Karen Harr, we are setting up this Go Fund Me page to raise money to help offset the serious financial hardships this series of health trials is bringing. Brian’s disability will run out and then his vacation and sick time will run out - long before he is well enough to go back to work. He will not only have his regular monthly financial obligations to meet, but the full copayment of his monthly health insurance as well as prescription and cancer treatment costs too. Please help support this wonderful family during their time of extreme trial. If we can raise enough money to support them through this trial Brian will be able to fully focus his attention on getting well. They have three sweet children ages 6 and younger. Karen is a full-time mom who home-schools their oldest child while caring for all of the practical needs of the family. As Brian recovers from these surgeries and treatments, she will be stretched very thin as she cares for him and for their young children. No donation is too small, please show your love and support and most of all, please PRAY for all of them!
Organizer and beneficiary
Janet Smith
Organizer
Valencia, CA
Brian Harr
Beneficiary
