A dear friend, a great father, and loving husband

Hello all, My name is Matthew Mulvany, and I would like to start by saying thank you for even getting to this point where you are reading this. If you're on GoFundMe, directed here by friends or family, or just surfing their site to try to help, your compassion, empathy, and desire to help are beyond appreciated.

I have created this fundraising campaign for an extraordinary person - not just to my family and me, his teenage daughter, or his wonderful and patient wife - but to anyone who has crossed paths with him. Don't let his campaign cover photo with his beaming smile fool you; his story is that of a young man who has been down a very physically and mentally arduous road. Here is a condensed version of his experience: On April 21 2017, Nick Baragas was diagnosed with T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia or T-ALL. He underwent a stem cell infusion (a bone marrow transplant) on September 8, 2017. Within about 2-3 weeks of his transplant, he started suffering from GVHD (Graft vs. Host Disease). GVHD is where the "donor's cells see the receiver's body as foreign and are attacking." He has tried six medications (including one just recently approved by the FDA) to help combat the GVHD. Even though several of these medications have been successful for many other people, unfortunately, none of these drugs are helping him, and doctors are running out of options. Here's a list of the medications he has been placed on and some he still takes to fight this disease: Axatilimab, Ixazomib, Jakafi, Ibrutinib, Belumosudil, Rituxan, Prednisone, Sirolimus, as well as doing photopheresis amongst other treatments.

Due to his illness, he has been unable to work. Right before his diagnosis and for a short time afterward, Nick was operating a vehicle detailing service in a small covered shop they had built for this purpose. Nick's attention to detail, dedication, and pride he took in his work were inspiring and refreshing, and I very much believe if not for this illness, he would have a thriving company. Due to the medications and the GVHD, Nick cannot be in the sun for very long or be bitten by mosquitos and must be very careful of what chemicals/repellants/or even lotions he uses on his skin.

The GVHD has also caused his fascia "thin casing of connective tissue that surrounds and holds every organ, blood vessel, bone, nerve fiber, and muscle in place" to become extremely tight across most of his body. This limits him from performing simple tasks that many healthy people take for granted, such as putting socks or shoes on, fully extending his arms, or sitting up straight. Pain and discomfort are as familiar to Nick as being hungry or tired are to your average person. As I'm sure you can imagine after reading all of this, their family has incurred Mountains of medical and credit card debt totaling approximately $25,800. Yet he still showed up to my children's birthday party last weekend with a huge smile and gifts for both of my toddlers.

Nick and his wife have hearts of gold, through and through. They are both extraordinary people who have been dealt a tough hand - yet keep raising their daughter and treating everyone around them with love, kindness, and patience. They are an inspiration to their family, my family, and all of their friends. If you can donate even a few dollars to Nick and Liz to help chip away at some of this debt and help improve the overall quality of life, my sincerest gratitude goes out to you.

Nick, if you read this, keep your head up and stay strong brother. We love and appreciate you.

Best regards,

Matthew Mulvany