Dave's Cancer Medical Fund

I must start by saying I am setting this site up due to some extremely persistent friends who have urged, prodded, nagged me to establish this account.  Of course I say "nagged" in the most loving way ;-).  There is nothing more powerful than good thoughts and prayers and I appreciate them all!  However, it seems there is an appetite by some to contribute by helping me to defray some ongoing expenses related to my cancer treatment.  In April 2017, I was diagnosed with Stage IV metastatic melanoma.  There is no cure and survival rates are not wonderful.  It seems the best way to not only potentially help myself but also assist in the research to finding a cure is to participate in clinical trials.  Clinical trials are strictly controlled and for me that means 430 mile drives, each way, to Moffitt Cancer Center for nearly every appointment I have.   The cost of those commutes as well as hotel stays for each of the visits are expenses out of my pocket and are quickly adding up.  Currently I am back and forth to Moffitt every other week, with each trip on average 2-3 days.  In February 2018, I will need to spend approximately a month in Tampa, FL, for a mix of daily outpatient and inpatient hospital stays, followed by five weeks of weekly visits for follow up treatment.  That will be followed by visits every other week for continued treatment.  It is the cost of these commutes and lodging that some dear friends have requested I set up this account.  As we all know, clinical trials hold no guarantees, often carry significant risk, but are how we get from no cure to having a cure.  So on behalf of myself and some close friends, thank you if you are able to contribute to helping me defray costs that I am struggling to keep up with in order to help get us to a cure for Stage IV melanoma.