Cancer fund for my uncle

I am not sure how to start except to say 2 months ago I was fine, in good health and a happy person with a son almost 7 years old, a small business and a nice home with 3 dogs.  I have raised him alone since he was 8 days.  Along the way I have had help with a nannies and girlfriend too. I am 65 years old and have been running a small business in Costa Rica for the last 13 years to make my living selling medical supplies and items to doctors.  

I fell ill on a trip to a medical congress in Nicaragua in April of 2017 and everyone assured me it was a mosquito bite and dengue or similar malady,  it put be in hospital for 2 days with a very high fever and destroyed my platelets in my blood.  Slowly I recovered and it seemed all except platelets returned to normal.  Then 3 weeks ago, I got sick again this time they did more blood work and bone biopsies to determine my marrow has ceased to function.  And all my blood cell types were 40-70% below minimums.  As my health has been great last 35 years I allowed my insurance in Costa Rica to lapse when Medicare became active for me.

As I am unable to afford the care I need now for chemo and other treatments, I am having to close down everything in Costa Rica, sell my car, listed our home and an trying to raise all I can to pay the costs  of extended stay in Arizona for my son and my girlfriend.  My son is bilingual but Katherine is not.  So this will make it a bit more complicated.  I am planning to try to acquire more insurance for the deductibles as well.

I am also trying to liquidate some of the savings I have for my son, Max’s education to help without leaving him short if I am not a successful case.  Most of my family has past, mother, father, uncles, aunts, only have a few cousins and nieces mostly that have lost touch with us over the years I have been gone from the US, now 15 years.  I do have a few ½ brothers and a sister on my father’s side but we have never been close.  Many friends are offering to help with my son while in Phoenix and I am grateful for that, as I really want to be able to see his face while in this process and let him enjoy this trip as it will be a very different Christmas for him not at home with the tree, toys and dogs.

I will be entering Piper Cancer Center this coming Friday to start my treatments, I had hoped to go to MD Anderson there also but not been able to communicate with them from Costa Rica  I have been in the hospital a lot these last 3 weeks and already spent a great deal of money, that would normally be a year’s worth of expenses.

All I can say is this request is really for the benefit of my son, who depends on me for everything. He told me a few days ago if something happened to me his world would be over and we both cried and I promised him I will make it to be there for him.  He is a wonderful little boy, very smart and while only in 1st grade, reads to 3rd grade level in both Spanish and English.  He loves science and mathematics.  He has studied jiujitsu for 2 years and also likes art.  I’ve just had the best 7 years of my life with him, and I pray for a few more.  He has only been to Florida before, and this time he wants to go see snow and the cactus of Arizona.  He does not know how long I will be there or how serious my condition is.  The AML chemo treatment is not only expensive buy requires 3 or more weeks in hospital with full time care.  Even if you cannot donate to help us, please any prayers for us would be greatly appreciated.

My doctors say this may be a result of a large dose of radiation I received while in the University of Illinois in graduate school during an accident.  While that was almost 43 years ago, I guess anything is possible.

Any funds that are not used for my care or direct costs, or in the event it is not successful will be returned to donors.  I am asking a good friend I to help me with this and also a niece, that is a nurse as I will most likely be unable to do much for some time.

My thanks to each and every one that can help even a little.

Richard Macgurn