I am creating this page for Rob Lyman, my life partner, who was diagnosed with MDS (Myelodysplastic Syndrome). on July 18 2018. This is a blood disorder that interrupts the production of normal blood cells. He was given 1 to 3 years to live without treatment, a possible 5 years if he survives a bone marrow transplant. In the last 9 months, we have been to some of the best treatment centers in the US, in order to gain a full understanding of this disorder and develop an effective therapy strategy. We traveled this winter to UCSD Health Sciences in San Diego, and attended the LLS blood cancer conference in Anaheim. We have also gained some insight and understanding of the Native American and Eastern medicine approaches to treatment in these cases that have been in practice for thousands of years. We journeyed to Seattle's #1 cancer research center for an in depth understanding about transplants. A bone marrow transplant would cause Rob to have a much lower quality of life, and would cost over a million dollars. Given this, we have chosen to use blood transfusions and natural treatments. Natural treatments are not covered by Medicare. How you die from MDS is 1) bleed out (due to a lack of platelets) 2) Infection (due to a lack of white blood cells) and 3) Iron overload from transfusion dependency. Rob has already received 12 units of blood. We will be looking at further costs for iron chelation treatments at some point, usually after 20 units of blood are infused. These chelation treatments are highly expensive and also not covered by Medicare. After consulting with all the specialists in the field, it was recommended that Rob undergo dental work to eliminate the possibility of infections due to abscess and decay. After 4 extractions, 3 root canals and 1 filling, we find ourselves deep in debt from the procedures and are having a tough time keeping up with payments and living expenses based on Social Security income alone. Please help us offset these expenses so that we can focus on personal health regimens without all the stress of financial pressures affecting an otherwise positive attitude and holistic approach. Thank you so much for your donation. BIG LOVE.