Care For Diana Byar-Bone Marrow Transplant Needs

Our friend Diana Byar, is getting set for the fight of her life and needs our help. Last year, Diana was admitted to the hospital with chest pains and it was discovered she’d had a heart attack caused by a blood clot. Diana was in good health and her case stumped the Doctors in Marquette, MI where she resides with her husband, Christian. The doctors referred her to The Mayo Clinic for additional testing. In August of 2023, Diana received the words no one wants to hear: CANCER.

Primary Myelofibrosis, to be exact. Primary myelofibrosis (PMF) is a rare bone marrow disorder that is characterized by abnormalities in blood cell production (hematopoiesis) and scarring (formation of fibrous tissue) within the bone marrow.

Diana began treatment at the Mayo Clinic in September, consisting of oral chemo and additional tests, including a bone marrow biopsy. It was concluded that to save her life, she would need to undergo a bone marrow transplant. To be closer to friends and family within the state of Michigan, Diana and her husband Christian chose to move her care to the University of Michigan, which is also a leader in the treatment of her rare cancer. Her brother, Mike was tested and unfortunately, is not a match, so the UofM Team is searching the national database for a match. Once one has been identified, she’ll go in for the transplant, most likely around June of this year. Diana and her family have some pretty specific needs as she moves into the next phase of treatment.

Housing:

Diana needs housing in the Ann Arbor area (Preferably within 50 miles of Ann Arbor) for roughly 100 days after her release from the hospital. She is expected to be inpatient for approximately 4 weeks. She will need 24-hour care for the first 100 days post-transplant.

Housing options need to be somewhat budget-friendly because she will need to take an extended leave of absence from her job with the Michigan Conference of the United Methodist Church, Northern Skies District Office in Marquette. In addition to her being unable to work, her husband, Christian, will also be required to take a significant amount of time unpaid from his job as a Michigan State Police Officer in the Upper Penisula so that he can be her primary caregiver.

Financial Assistance:

Any cash donations will help to pay extensive medical, living and travel expenses incurred while she receives care.

Gas Cards:

There will be countless trips to Ann Arbor-UofM Hospital for follow-up care after her transplant. With a one-way trip of roughly 450 miles between Marquette and Ann Arbor, those miles will add up quickly. She will have a year of follow-up care consisting of every other week visits to The UofM once she’s “discharged” from having to be onsite in Ann Arbor.

Hotel Points:

Pre and post-op care will require stays in hotels, if anyone has hotel points they’d like to donate, that’s also appreciated. Please check to see if your hotel participates in point sharing.

A little more about our Diana:

Diana is 53 years young. She’s the wife of Christian, a mother to Skylar, who lives in NYC with her new husband Paul, and stepmother to Mika. She’s also a mom to Penny, her sweet Shihtzu mix. Diana and Christian reside in Marquette, Michigan. She is an eternal optimist. Her outlook on life and positive energy are how she is going to get through this challenging time—and thankfully, her attitude is infectious. Even under the stress of this diagnosis, she keeps a smile on her face and worries about taking care of everyone around her. She is one of the kindest, gentlest people you could ever know. She has the biggest heart and would do anything for anyone. Diana loves to cook and bake in her spare time. Many of us have been on the receiving end of one of her amazing creations! We’ve all been so incredibly blessed to have her in our lives for so many years and need her around for many more years to come.

There truly aren’t enough words to explain the context of Diana and what she means to so many people, only that she is the most deserving person of prayers, love, and support.

Thank you for being a part of her road to recovery.