Support Andrew Rosenthal

My friend Andrew was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma (DBCL) in March of 2019. As a result, he has been devastated—physically, mentally, and financially. In April 2018, his Family Medical Leave ended leaving him jobless and without health insurance. His current outstanding medical bills stand at $10,000 plus.   Andrew originally began to feel sick at my wedding in early September. For months he was told by doctors that he had Mononucleosis or Epstein Barr and that, with rest, it “would pass.” He continued to work for four months while suffering from daily fevers, night sweats, swollen lymph nodes, an enlarged spleen, and extreme fatigue. As a therapist in a community mental health clinic he met with upwards of ten clients a day, often with little more than a half an hour break. His life became little more than working and sleeping. Not satisfied with his diagnosis, Andrew had to lobby his primary care doctor for a month in order get an authorization for CT scan. As he feared a CT scan and subsequent biopsy revealed cancer in three lymph nodes and his spleen.   Starting in March Andrew began receiving R-CHOP Chemotherapy at New York Presbyterian. Side effects have included: painful mouth sores, hair loss, nausea and digestive issues, night-sweats, insomnia, weight gain, skin rashes, and depression. For more information on experiencing this type of Chemo, Andrew recommends an article in The New Yorker, “What Cancer Takes Away” (by Anne Boyer) where she details her experiences with the same protocol: https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2019/04/15/what-cancer-takes-away   At age 38, Andrew has spent his entire adult life working in public service. He’s worked with homeless adults, developmentally disabled individuals, served as a hospital chaplain, ran programs for people living with major mental illness, and provided services in one of the most dangerous homeless shelters in NYC. Today he is sick, has no income, on Medicaid and Food Stamps, put his student loans in forbearance, and only able to make ends meet with the help of family members who have are raiding their retirement accounts.   Andrew is now waiting for his first post-Chemo PET Scan. While his prognosis is encouraging, we still don’t know if he’ll need more treatment. This type of Cancer has a high relapse rate. His need for frequent doctors’ visits and costly tests will continue. He will keep his infusion port for two years. We hope that he will be declared Cancer free after 5 years.