Five years ago DJ was diagnosed with Mantle Cell Lymphoma, a rare & aggressive cancer, currently with no cure. At the time he was diagnosed he was in stage 5 kidney failure, with 8% funtion. He was in critical condition. He immediately started chemotherapy, 6 rounds of RCHOP and in November 2012 underwent an autologus stem cell transplant. In June 2014 his cancer returned. He started a new treatment called Ibrutinib. In January 2017 we once again faced the demon, MCL, with a mass in the pelvic area. We tried to get into the Car-T trial but because of overall health was denied. DJ was supposed to start a new trial, but in Febraury 2017 he started experiencing horrible pain in the pelvic area. After a CT Scan they determined the mass had aggressively grown from a golf ball size to a soft ball size. This meant immediate radiation to shrink the mass, inevitably eliminating us from the trial. We then received devastating news. There was no further treatment options available and at this time it was recommended that we enter hospice care. Just as this news was delivered, I was in turn laid off from my job, having nothing to do with DJ's care involvement. It was our primary source of income. He recieves a small disability check but this is not enough to cover us. I have applied for any and all assistance and have been denied. I have filed unemployment, however that is being delayed until end of April and will not be what I was making and we were struggling then. Throughout the last five years we have managed to avoid asking for help. We have managed to maintain things and keep going. However, we are facing some huge expenses. We still have to maintain monthly living, while facing the inevitable of planning for a funeral. We have no savings, no life insurance, nothing. I am trying to take these final days with DJ and think of them as a gift, but stress about how to maintain daily living and how to pay for a funeral are over shadowing these moments which should be spent enjoying every minute together. It has finally come to a point where I need to ask for help. All of this is bigger than we are. We all have had those moments when we felt like we were at rock bottom, and hopefully someone reached out a helping hand to us.

Thank you so much for any support you can give and for SHARING!

All our thanks & love,
DJ & Jeanette