Bob's Fight Against MDS

As many of you may know, my dad (Bob) has recently been diagnosed with Myelodysplastic syndrome, or MDS for short. This is a cancer that starts in the bone marrow. In MDS, some cells in the bone marrow don’t grow like they should, so there aren’t enough of some types of blood cells. This makes it difficult for the body to work the way it should. We have been told that this disease will ultimately take his life without a bone marrow transplant.

We feel so blessed that he has a donor all lined up that has agreed to go forward with him on this journey. Starting January 12th, he will start his work up for that procedure down at University of MN/Fairview Hospital. They anticipate the inpatient hospital stay will be around 6-8 weeks. Mom (Janet) is taking medical leave and time off work to be by his side and to be his designated caregiver. With this procedure, it is required that you have someone to be with you until you go home. If there were to be any complications, it is necessary that they are close to their medical team. Because they live more than 30 minutes away from the hospital, they will also be required to stay in an apartment for an additional 120 days after he is discharged from the hospital.

With all this being said, they are going to be without income for this entire time and will be acquiring a lot of extra expenses. We are reaching out to our friends and family and asking if you have the means to help in any way, we would greatly appreciate it. Most of all, please keep him in your prayers and ask God for a speedy recovery.