Mitch's Battle with Cancer

With a heavy heart and tears in my eyes... Nothing is more painful than trying to smile and stay positive when your heart is breaking.

With all the tests, scans, blood work, interminable waiting for results, second opinion consultations, not to mention the treatment horrors, etc., the person with cancer changes physically and suffers greatly from sadness and fear. I know a lot of y’all don’t understand about this because cancer hasn’t touched you. You don’t know what it’s like to have fought the fight, or have a loved one fighting, or have cancer.

I have lost family and friends to cancer, like my beloved Uncle Randy a couple years ago, and I pray deeply for those affected. I have an extra reason for asking for your prayers today. My oldest son, Mitch, has just been diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma, a rare type of blood and bone cancer.

When Mitch was four years old, he was diagnosed with another rare disease, and he has lived with it all his life. Despite that, he has fought for his quality of life and struggled for years to get his education, finally achieving his doctorate in Higher Education Leadership. He has a special affinity for the students at community colleges and the role these first level places of higher education play in our communities. After all, that’s where he started out!

And now, cancer. We are reeling from this diagnosis. Not only is it potentially life-limiting and devastating emotionally, but there’s so much pain involved with it. And another big factor, which just adds insult to injury, is the expense of all the medical tests involved in getting diagnosed and the ongoing treatments, which run into thousands and thousands of dollars.

If Mitch survives the initial round of treatment, he now has a lifetime of the same to prepare for and try to afford. When you’re sick and in pain, how do you keep your job and continue to work? You have to keep working so you can keep your insurance, which doesn’t pay for nearly all of it but at least helps. So you are in pain and nauseated from all the drugs and treatments you must have, you’re scared and emotionally distraught, and you have the additional stress of trying to keep working so you can pay for it all. And you have to set all that aside so you can keep up a brave face at work - after all, nobody wants an ineffective Sad Sack hanging around their workplace.

As his mom, I’m sick with worry but trying to put on a brave face and remain calm for him. And I’m trying to figure out how to help him with all that he’s going through. It’s devastating to a mother to see their beloved child suffering and know you can’t just kiss their little booboo, apply a smiley face on a band aid, and make it all better.

So that’s why I’m trying to set up this GoFundMe account for him. If he survives this first round of treatment, he’s looking at a lifetime of expenses and the certainty of a relapse with treatments that are often not covered by insurance, I’d like to leave my goal open as Mitch’s maximum out of pocket yearly insurance is currently $7,500. So, if he survives 10 years it will be $75,000 – 20 years will be $150,000 – 30 years…you guessed it - $225,000, and so on and so on. I am sharing this with my circle and asking my friends and family to share it with their circles.

Here is Mitch’s story in his own words:

Hi, my name is Mitch Parker, Ed.D. and I was diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma on February 6, 2024. As I begin this fight, I have been overwhelmed by the outpouring of love and support from our friends, family, and community.

A timeline of how this whole thing came about.

Some point in early October I hurt my left shoulder lifting groceries over my head. The pain didn’t go away, so in late November I went to the doctor to request an MRI, as I thought I had a torn rotator cuff. The results came back, and the doctor said, “you need to come into the office”. He reviewed my results and told me that he’d contacted an Orthopedic surgeon, and the Ortho told him that I need to go straight to UMC (University Medical Center in Lubbock) as they have an Ortho Oncologist on staff.

After staying in the hospital and having seemingly eight bazillion tests, I had what they thought was a primary plasmacytoma. A primary plasmacytoma is a form of Multiple Myeloma – only at an extremely early stage. These are typically treated with radiation therapy and “watchful waiting’). However, despite me following up many, many times, UMC never called me back to schedule an appointment with a radiation oncologist, so I took the initiative and reached out to Texas Oncology (TXO) in Amarillo. I’ve been going to TXO over the last six weeks getting multiple blood tests every time I go. Finally, they scheduled me for a PET scan and the PET scan conclusively indicated Multiple Myeloma with at least ten (10) bony lesions (this is where the plasma cells are destroying the bone and growing out of the bone marrow and through the bone).

I started what they call “induction therapy” on March 18, 2024. (Induction therapy is like chemo, but induction only attacks the myeloma cells). After four courses (called “cycles” in myeloma treatment) of induction therapy, I will have high-dose chemo at the hospital in Dallas and receive a stem cell transplant. This stay in at the hospital in Dallas, which will be in isolation because the immune system is wiped out,  could be as much as six weeks…but, hopefully less.

This has already led to a financial burden of medical bills and, if I live, I will require a lifetime of ongoing treatments and medications. I am going to do everything I can to have the best care possible, but the costs will become increasingly difficult to manage. That is why I am so happy my mom has set up this GoFundMe page, seeking your kind assistance in helping me raise funds for my medical expenses. And, I do have health insurance, but we all know that it only covers so much.

Your generous donations will directly contribute to covering the costs of induction therapy, chemotherapy, stem cell transplant(s), possibly other treatments when I relapse, hospital stays, medications (a lifetime of maintenance drugs), MRIs, PET scans, and other essential treatments that are vital to my recovery. Also, as relapse always happens with Multiple Myeloma, this will help with CAR-T (or other treatments) that will hopefully knock this thing down again (CAR-T is often not covered by insurance).

I understand that many of you may be going through your own struggles, and I truly appreciate any help you can offer. If you are unable to contribute financially, your moral support, well wishes, and positive thoughts would still mean the world to me and give me the strength to face each day with hope and courage.

For those of you that don’t know, here is a little bit about Multiple Myeloma from Cancer.org: Multiple Myeloma is a cancer of plasma cells. Normal plasma cells are found in the bone marrow and are an important part of the immune system. In general, when plasma cells become cancerous and grow out of control, this is called multiple myeloma. In multiple myeloma, the overgrowth of plasma cells in the bone marrow can crowd out normal blood-forming cells, leading to low blood counts. Myeloma cells also

interfere with cells that help keep bones strong. Bones are constantly being remade to keep them strong. Two kinds of bone cells work together to keep bones healthy and strong: Osteoclasts break down old bone and osteoblasts lay down new bone. Myeloma cells make a substance that tells the osteoclasts to speed up dissolving the bone. So old bone is broken down without new bone to replace it, making the bones weak and easy to break. Fractured bones are a major problem in people with myeloma. There is currently no cure for Multiple Myeloma.

Thank you for your compassion and assistance in whatever way you see fit.

Mitch Parker