Our personal fight against Cancer

Gary Bender is organizing this fundraiser.

Donation protected

Gary and Diana Bender are requesting your financial help in their personal fight against Cancer.

In November of 2012 Diana, my wife of 25 years was diagnosed with Lung Cancer.
She has a cancerous tumor that grew so fast that it actually cracked ribs.
Currently the doctors say the cancer is "˜Stable' and has not spread to other organs.
Diana still has many more sessions' of treatments to go to shrink the tumor and cure the cancer.

In December of 2012 I was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML).
I had noticed some large bumps had grown on my neck and lower abdomen which I initially thought was common blemishes or acne. They became so painful the doctor opted to surgically remove them. After a biopsy it was determined to be Tumors formed by dead white blood cells.
The next day the Oncologist performed a biopsy on my bone marrow. This confirmed I had Leukemia as the bone marrow was almost all Leukemia cells.
Currently I have finished the last 6 day session of Chemo. At the end of May they will do another Bone Marrow Biopsy to see if there are any more Leukemia cells.

Our Current Financial situation;
I know it's not fair. It's way harder day to day with both of us attacked by cancer. It's more expensive too.
Because our insurance only covers 80%, requires co-pay and cost us $1100 a month we are going to be in a dire situation during the next 6 months.
Diana has been disabled with Scoliosis since 1998 and is covered by Medicare. However we have had to pay out many thousands of dollars to cover the 20% Medicare does not pay.
I have signed up for Social Security Disability but it will not become active until August 2013.

How this happened;
This is not how I planned our retirement.
It kills me to ask hard working people for money.
That's not what I am about.
I had my first job in 1959 and have worked hard all of my life never depending on anyone.
However, I am depending on you.
Please help only if you can.
Thank you,
Gary and Diana Bender
Anchorage, Alaska