Helping Danny Fight Leukemia!

Daniel Tarlini is my cousin, and someone I very much consider my younger brother. I've been very close to him since he was an outgoing, full-of-smiles, toddler, which makes this story all the harder to tell.

Less than a month ago on Friday, August 18th, Danny went into work at VCEMS in Daytona Beach where he currently works as an Emergency Medical Technician. Always someone who had a bigger than life personality and a huge heart, he found an entry here into a medical career where he could directly help people and make a difference every single day he jumped into his ambulance while he worked towards furthering his education. But on this particular day, something was wrong.

<My daughters with their 'Uncle Daniel' showing them what he does as an EMT!>

Luckily for Danny (and very much helping to save his life), two of his coworkers noticed something was visibly wrong with him. After speaking with their lieutenant, it was decided he should go to the emergency room at Halifax Hospital in Daytona Beach to get checked out. He was admitted that night, and went through a battery of tests to determine what was wrong.

Just a few short days later it was confirmed: Danny was suffering from acute myeloid leukemia. Over the following crucial weeks, our family and I watched Danny be put through painful tests, aggresive chemotherapy, and both pain and weekness that left him stricken and completely dependent on those around him for care.


<Daniel playing Santa for kids at Turrie T Small Elementary.>

But watching him fight this diagnosis has been something to behold. Not once during this entire ordeal have I seen him be anything but kind, thankful, and gracious to those around him, and while I know there have been many moments where he was scared about the future, he's been nothing but curageous and determined to fight like hell to get through this. And as I write this, he's made it through his chemo treatment and is looking better with every passing day. Hopefully, these positive signs and improvement point towards remission!


The reality though is that despite his insurance, treatment, and support of family, Danny will now face a lifelong battle against this leukemia diagnosis. The purpose of this gofundme is to show him our support, and help him alleviate the stress of immediate and long-term medical costs, ongoing testing and medication, and cost of living expenses that he will face due to a short-term loss of his ability to work. With hope, he'll be heading home in a matter of weeks to begin the long process of recovery and what is sure to be a vigilant fight to keep this cancer in remission.

Over the years Danny has been there for so many of us, and I know him as someone who would quite literally give you the shirt off his back if you needed it. He's also someone that is humble about needing help, and wouldn't ask otherwise himself. So now that he needs us the most in this crucial time, let's all show that we're here for #DanTheMan too! Everything raised here will go directly to Danny to use as he sees fit and based on his needs.