Dwight's Medical Fund
Donation protected
Our brother, Dwight, was just recently diagnosed with PNH, (Paroxysmal Nocturnal Hemoglobinuria). This disease is so rare that it only affects 1 in 1 million people.
It started out with Dwight not feeling well for weeks. He just felt incredibly tired but continued to go to work everyday. Finally on 7/8/16 while on a delivery for work, he felt so incredibly tired and physically weak and ill that the contractor from the job site had to drive him back to the shop where he works. From there he was brought into the ER at Kishwaukee Hospital where he was admitted. Testings found he had dangerously low levels of white and red blood cells and essentially no blood platelets. At that point blood and platelet transfusions were administered so they could perform a bone marrow biopsy to be sent to Mayo clinic for testing for Leukemia and Aplastic Anemia, among other diseases.
While waiting for the results of the tests, Dwight's heart stopped beating for 9 seconds the first episode, and several seconds a couple more times during the night. The next day Doctors installed a pacemaker as a backup for his heart and he was in ICU for three days.
After several more days we were finally given some good news. Dwight tested negative for cancer. NO LEUKEMIA! After several more days, the diagnosis finally arrived as PNH. As we mentioned before, PNH is extremely rare. PNH is caused due to defects in protein present on the surface of red blood cells, destroying them. The only treatment for PNH is a drug called Soliris, which Forbes has called "the most expensive drug in the world". It is relatively new, and is still being tested in clinical trials. Dwight's insurance company has approved the Solaris treatments, and we are praying it works. The alternative is to have a stem cell transplant, which would take place in Madison, WI.
Dwight continues to have daily blood labs testing his counts, he is obviously not able to work and won't be able to for an extended amount of time. Meanwhile, Marla is working, but having to miss quite a bit of time to take Dwight to his labs.
Here's where you come in! Dwight needs help at the moment with daily living expenses, travel expenses, co-pays, deductibles, and in the very near future his insurance costs will triple as his employer will no longer pay their usual portion of his insurance. We greatly appreciate any help you are able to give, be it in the form of a monetary donation or prayers that the treatments will work and will return Dwight to the healthy fun loving guy we all know.
God Bless you all, and please share this with any of Dwight's friends you may have on facebook.
Sincerely, Dwight's Sisters Marci, Tammy & Liz
It started out with Dwight not feeling well for weeks. He just felt incredibly tired but continued to go to work everyday. Finally on 7/8/16 while on a delivery for work, he felt so incredibly tired and physically weak and ill that the contractor from the job site had to drive him back to the shop where he works. From there he was brought into the ER at Kishwaukee Hospital where he was admitted. Testings found he had dangerously low levels of white and red blood cells and essentially no blood platelets. At that point blood and platelet transfusions were administered so they could perform a bone marrow biopsy to be sent to Mayo clinic for testing for Leukemia and Aplastic Anemia, among other diseases.
While waiting for the results of the tests, Dwight's heart stopped beating for 9 seconds the first episode, and several seconds a couple more times during the night. The next day Doctors installed a pacemaker as a backup for his heart and he was in ICU for three days.
After several more days we were finally given some good news. Dwight tested negative for cancer. NO LEUKEMIA! After several more days, the diagnosis finally arrived as PNH. As we mentioned before, PNH is extremely rare. PNH is caused due to defects in protein present on the surface of red blood cells, destroying them. The only treatment for PNH is a drug called Soliris, which Forbes has called "the most expensive drug in the world". It is relatively new, and is still being tested in clinical trials. Dwight's insurance company has approved the Solaris treatments, and we are praying it works. The alternative is to have a stem cell transplant, which would take place in Madison, WI.
Dwight continues to have daily blood labs testing his counts, he is obviously not able to work and won't be able to for an extended amount of time. Meanwhile, Marla is working, but having to miss quite a bit of time to take Dwight to his labs.
Here's where you come in! Dwight needs help at the moment with daily living expenses, travel expenses, co-pays, deductibles, and in the very near future his insurance costs will triple as his employer will no longer pay their usual portion of his insurance. We greatly appreciate any help you are able to give, be it in the form of a monetary donation or prayers that the treatments will work and will return Dwight to the healthy fun loving guy we all know.
God Bless you all, and please share this with any of Dwight's friends you may have on facebook.
Sincerely, Dwight's Sisters Marci, Tammy & Liz
Organizer and beneficiary
Marci McCarten
Organizer
DeKalb, IL
Dwight Martin
Beneficiary