Rafael bone marrow transplant fund
Donation protected
My name is Rafael Muria Vila. I was born in Mexico City of exiled Catalan parents, and I currently live there. I have lived a very fulfilling life: I am an architect and have practiced this career for many years both planning and designing hospitals for the Mexican State, as well as being a faculty member of the School of Architecture at the National and Autonomous University of Mexico. I am also an avid swimmer with several open-sea and pool competitions under my belt. But most importantly, I am a husband and a father to my beautiful family with my wife of 32 years Alelí Olivares Villagómez and my three handsome sons Alán, Arí and Aldo.
In February 2013, I was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma; news that at the very moment made me feel angry and sad, asking myself, why me? But despite this devastating news, I fought hard against the cancer and after many treatments including an autologous bone marrow transplant it went into remission. However, in May of 2015 the cancer came back and I was again fighting the disease with radio and immunotherapy until it went back into remission. Because recurrent non-Hodgkin lymphomas are very aggressive, the next step for my treatment involves an allogeneic bone marrow transplant aiming at eliminating the root of the cancerous cells. Because the bone marrow needs to be from a highly compatible donor, my doctors searched the bone marrow banks in Mexico but were not able to find a suitable donor. Fortunately, when the search was extended to bone marrow banks around the world, a compatible donor was found. Unfortunately, the costs to obtain, process, and transport the bone marrow from the donor’s country of origin to Mexico is of $47,000 (forty seven thousand US dollars). Although I have good health insurance, my family and I have already had to pay a significant amount of money out of pocket for my previous treatments. This upcoming procedure is not covered by my insurance and it is an amount that my family and I cannot afford, the costs are too overwhelming.
It is at this point that I request your support, both emotionally and financially, to overcome this cancer and the financial burden of the transplant. My family and I are seeking donations from institutions and individuals both in Mexico and the United States. A couple of important details, 1) the transplant needs to be performed sooner rather than later while the lymphoma is in remission. The doctors have set a tentative date for August 7th 2016. 2) The donor’s bone marrow cannot be obtained and processed until the $47,000 are fully paid.
Please be assured that any question you should have or any documentation you should require to establish the veracity of my condition and/or the transplant will be provided to you upon request.
I infinitely thank you for your support and kindness.
Rafael
In February 2013, I was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma; news that at the very moment made me feel angry and sad, asking myself, why me? But despite this devastating news, I fought hard against the cancer and after many treatments including an autologous bone marrow transplant it went into remission. However, in May of 2015 the cancer came back and I was again fighting the disease with radio and immunotherapy until it went back into remission. Because recurrent non-Hodgkin lymphomas are very aggressive, the next step for my treatment involves an allogeneic bone marrow transplant aiming at eliminating the root of the cancerous cells. Because the bone marrow needs to be from a highly compatible donor, my doctors searched the bone marrow banks in Mexico but were not able to find a suitable donor. Fortunately, when the search was extended to bone marrow banks around the world, a compatible donor was found. Unfortunately, the costs to obtain, process, and transport the bone marrow from the donor’s country of origin to Mexico is of $47,000 (forty seven thousand US dollars). Although I have good health insurance, my family and I have already had to pay a significant amount of money out of pocket for my previous treatments. This upcoming procedure is not covered by my insurance and it is an amount that my family and I cannot afford, the costs are too overwhelming.
It is at this point that I request your support, both emotionally and financially, to overcome this cancer and the financial burden of the transplant. My family and I are seeking donations from institutions and individuals both in Mexico and the United States. A couple of important details, 1) the transplant needs to be performed sooner rather than later while the lymphoma is in remission. The doctors have set a tentative date for August 7th 2016. 2) The donor’s bone marrow cannot be obtained and processed until the $47,000 are fully paid.
Please be assured that any question you should have or any documentation you should require to establish the veracity of my condition and/or the transplant will be provided to you upon request.
I infinitely thank you for your support and kindness.
Rafael
Organizer
Danyvid Olivares-Villagómez
Organizer
Nashville, TN