Hello all,

My name is Lee and most of you who will see this know me, and some of you who don't know me will know my wife, one of my family members, or friends. Just a bit of my story: I found out on St. Patty's Day that I had multiple myeloma. I had been in pain for almost 2 months and was told it was muscular when it was actually compression fractures in my spine. I ended up getting surgery for that, and they did a biopsy of my bone along with fixing my L1-4. From that point, we have met with doctors, and I am getting chemo here in Green Bay. I will eventually have to have a stem cell transplant in Milwaukee and stay down there for quite some time.

I know that with just my wife working and taking care of bills, we will not be able to cover all of my medical costs and stay at the hospital. I know that insurance will cover some costs, but also with not being able to work this year, things will add up fast. I am not the type of person to ask for help. I do know, however, that we (my wife and I) have a great number of family and friends who are willing to help out. I also know that I am not alone in the process and that there are many out there like me who are dealing with cancer and who have lost their lives to cancer. It is an awful thing that only takes from us and leaves us feeling overwhelmed and hopeless. I don't want that for anyone. I hope to help and be a positive light for those dealing with this wherever I am able, even if it is cracking a silly dad joke.

Thanks for taking a look at my story.

Lee Borchardt