Chano & Sue's Survival fund
Donation protected
Hello From Dave "Chano" & Sue Popejoy.
Nov of 2011 I was diagnosed with AML (Acute Myeloid Leukemia) . I started treatment with the Cancer Center of Kansas and later transferred to University of Kansas Bone Marrow Transplant clinic. I received my non-related bone marrow transplant June of 2012. Following that, I successfully completed the post transplant regimen in Kansas City and returned home in Nov of 2012.
My body's acceptance of the transplant was going precisely as planned and life went on. I was expecting to celebrate my 4th anniversary of the transplant this June. but in I began experiencing symptoms that seemed to indicate that there was a problem with the transplant.
Oct of 2015 I had been sent by my employer to Raleigh North Carolina for training for 4 weeks but I began experiencing symptoms that seemed to indicate that there was a problem with the transplant.
I had to wait will I returned home to consult with my cancer doctors. They had concerns over the symptoms I was having but they couldn't discover any issues with the transplant.
The doctors at KU performed a CT scan of my abdomen and found a carcinoid tumor in my pancreas that was causing the symptoms. I had cancer again, but a different one that before. This tumor was effecting my pancreas and my liver and possibly the surrounding organs.
It was determined that I now had inoperable pancreatic cancer. Since February of 2016 I've been receiving weekly chemo therapy and constant blood work to monitor my physical response to the treatment. The ulitimate goal has been to shrink the tumor to a point that it is small enough to surgically remove, but after my first 9 chemo treatment that has not happened. I'm now just beginning my next 6 treatments to keep the disease limited to its present size and impact.
On the same day that I received the cancer diagnosis, my group at work, at Netapp Inc, had a staff meeting and I found out, via Facebook, that our entire organization had been permanently laid off. This is the same group that had just spent 6 weeks in training in North Carolina and now the company was reversing its plans and was disbanding the entire organization.
Netapp provided a severance package that provided 2 months of COBRA insurance following my last paycheck. that COBRA period is ending July 31st.
We're applying for assistance through the Cancer Foundation and I'm currently awaiting for them to review my application and determine my eligiblility. I have also been approved for full physical disability by Social Security, but all of this takes time and nothing moves quickly in the government. My disability won't be effective until Oct 2016.
We've reached the end of our available financial resources and have maxed out my 1 credit card to keep ourselves afloat. At this point we have to reach out to those family and friends that might feel comfortable to extend their hands to us to get us through this period of uncertainty.
Any and all money's received will be used for day to day expenses, utilities, necessities and medical bills. If I have to acquire a new health insurance policy this will require beginning a new deductible period and the capitol output that requires. We don't have any reserves to cover this now.
Through all of this, our families have been extraordinary in their willingness to assist us day by day and week by week. I'm so limited now in my physical stamina to do little things around the house that their assistance is essential. Mowing the yard, house cleaning and just day to day stuff that wasn't so difficult before are now very challenging for me and I can't be much help to Sue as she works every day to keep the house functional.
There are no words that I can express to truly say thank you and how much we would appreciate your willingness to contribute and help us through this time of need.
Nov of 2011 I was diagnosed with AML (Acute Myeloid Leukemia) . I started treatment with the Cancer Center of Kansas and later transferred to University of Kansas Bone Marrow Transplant clinic. I received my non-related bone marrow transplant June of 2012. Following that, I successfully completed the post transplant regimen in Kansas City and returned home in Nov of 2012.
My body's acceptance of the transplant was going precisely as planned and life went on. I was expecting to celebrate my 4th anniversary of the transplant this June. but in I began experiencing symptoms that seemed to indicate that there was a problem with the transplant.
Oct of 2015 I had been sent by my employer to Raleigh North Carolina for training for 4 weeks but I began experiencing symptoms that seemed to indicate that there was a problem with the transplant.
I had to wait will I returned home to consult with my cancer doctors. They had concerns over the symptoms I was having but they couldn't discover any issues with the transplant.
The doctors at KU performed a CT scan of my abdomen and found a carcinoid tumor in my pancreas that was causing the symptoms. I had cancer again, but a different one that before. This tumor was effecting my pancreas and my liver and possibly the surrounding organs.
It was determined that I now had inoperable pancreatic cancer. Since February of 2016 I've been receiving weekly chemo therapy and constant blood work to monitor my physical response to the treatment. The ulitimate goal has been to shrink the tumor to a point that it is small enough to surgically remove, but after my first 9 chemo treatment that has not happened. I'm now just beginning my next 6 treatments to keep the disease limited to its present size and impact.
On the same day that I received the cancer diagnosis, my group at work, at Netapp Inc, had a staff meeting and I found out, via Facebook, that our entire organization had been permanently laid off. This is the same group that had just spent 6 weeks in training in North Carolina and now the company was reversing its plans and was disbanding the entire organization.
Netapp provided a severance package that provided 2 months of COBRA insurance following my last paycheck. that COBRA period is ending July 31st.
We're applying for assistance through the Cancer Foundation and I'm currently awaiting for them to review my application and determine my eligiblility. I have also been approved for full physical disability by Social Security, but all of this takes time and nothing moves quickly in the government. My disability won't be effective until Oct 2016.
We've reached the end of our available financial resources and have maxed out my 1 credit card to keep ourselves afloat. At this point we have to reach out to those family and friends that might feel comfortable to extend their hands to us to get us through this period of uncertainty.
Any and all money's received will be used for day to day expenses, utilities, necessities and medical bills. If I have to acquire a new health insurance policy this will require beginning a new deductible period and the capitol output that requires. We don't have any reserves to cover this now.
Through all of this, our families have been extraordinary in their willingness to assist us day by day and week by week. I'm so limited now in my physical stamina to do little things around the house that their assistance is essential. Mowing the yard, house cleaning and just day to day stuff that wasn't so difficult before are now very challenging for me and I can't be much help to Sue as she works every day to keep the house functional.
There are no words that I can express to truly say thank you and how much we would appreciate your willingness to contribute and help us through this time of need.
Organizer
David Chanowski
Organizer
Wichita, KS