Jon Mayers Fundraiser

The Mayers Strong family is united once again to support Jonathan as he prepares to undergo a second round of a rigorous chemo treatment for an extremely rare soft bone cancer known as Ewing Sarcoma. The family is asking for financial donations in order to allow Jonathan to remain in his apartment while he under goes chemo treatment. Below is the story of his fight to overcome Ewing Sarcoma. In February 2016, Jonathan identified a small bump on his head. Unfortunately, no one really thought much of it at the time as he had bonked his head with weights and it was only the size of a pinhead. After a month the bump grew to the size of a baseball. He had been going to various doctors to have it checked and when his family got the ex-rays back the tumor was growing on the outside and inside of his skull. He was immediately referred to specialist in Seattle for emergency surgery where they learned it was not just one tumor located in his head but several tumors spread throughout his body and were too numerous to count. If it had only been that one tumor on his skull he would have defeated it in one day. After undergoing over five hours of surgery, Jon was up walking around the ICU hallways first thing the next morning; he checked himself out of the hospital the day after surgery before noon. In less than 24 hours after brain surgery, he was dressed, signed his own release papers from ICU, carried his own bags to the car, and the Mayers family was heading back to Bellingham to recover. The following week consisted of several visits to specialists. They explained that he had a cancer called Ewing Sarcoma (a soft bone tissue cancer that spreads rapidly via making tumors.) His cancer was a stage three/four and they had to move fast. He was given the weekend to get all affairs in order. Jonathan and his dad relocated to Seattle within days and they stayed in a borrowed apartment until the Ronald Macdonald Charity House had space. His parents rotated care giving in order to maintain their jobs. Upon moving to Seattle a medical team developed bi-weekly chemo treatment plans which were brutal. Even so, Jonathan remained gracious to all the medical staff. His attitude throughout this ordeal has left the Mayers Strong team in awe of his strength and determination. In a ten month period, Jonathan underwent 42 weeks of chemo, 12 weeks of radiation, and tri-monthly MRI, PET, ECHO, and CAT scans. Hospital stays were long, painful, boring, and lonely. The Mayers Strong family greatly appreciated the visits, gift cards, meal trains, phone calls, emails, baked goodies, hugs, messages, and all forms of support offered by friends, family, and community at large. Jonathan really benefitted from visits from friends and family whether at the time he was able to show it or not. The highlights of that year included getting out of jail free weekend passes to Bellingham. Moving forward to August 15th 2017, Jonathan was completely healthy, strong, and the cancer free. They took out his port which was a day of celebration. He then quickly got hired on at a land surveying company in Bellevue. He was excited and motivated to move forward in life. The Mayers family observed his progress with gratitude. During this remission period Jonathan was very active in giving back to the community. On two consecutive years he led the Mayers Strong volunteer team: in providing and serving meals for families in the Ronald McDonald Charity House, on a Slay the Dragon Sarcoma Foundation fundraiser “walk to cure cancer”, and just before he got sick, in gathering medical donations for families with sick children in Ecuador. On September 30 th he managed to finish the Bellingham Bay half marathon, something he spent months training for. That race was the farthest he had run to date. For nearly two years Jonathan went for scans every three weeks, then every three months, and finally every six months. Each time he underwent the scans, the Mayers family held their breath. November 15 th 2019 was to be his graduation from Seattle Children’s Hospital and he was to transition to maintenance care in UW medical facility. Unfortunately, after a few weeks beyond the run, he started to feel the old familiar aches and pains in his left hip region where the old cancer had been located. He went in for scans 10 days before his graduation date only to learn the cancer had returned. Five days later he was no longer able to stand at work all day and had to submit his medical leave of absence. Jonathan faces eighteen weeks of standard out-patient chemo and several sessions of additional radiation. During phase two the medical team will harvest his stem cells only to reintroduce them back into his body after he is subjected to an extremely intense chemo designed to kill nearly all his cells. This final stage of treatment requires that he remain in the intensive care cancer treatment ward for several weeks. This total treatment program will take several months to complete and then he will require a few months of recovery. Mayers Strong family is reaching out on Jonathan’s behalf to request financial donations in order to allow him to remain in his apartment rather than lose everything again and return to the Ronald McDonald Charity House. By receiving money donations he could keep his own place, sleep in his own bed, and be surrounded by his own personal things. These basic privileges would provide comfort while he is so sick. If you are willing and able please consider making donations to assist Jonathan while he defeats Ewing Sarcoma. It is during this time that he receives chemo treatment and is not able to work that he really needs loving care and financial assistance. Currently, he finds himself without his job, an income, and he is surviving off limited savings. Knowing the outside community cares has a huge impact on his well being. Again thank you all for being willing to contribute to our fundraiser for Jonathan Mayers. Without your strength, support, encouragement, and friendship we would not able to be strong for Jonathan during his time of need. May you all have a healthy and safe up coming year. Thank you and God Bless.