Dear Don

On January 23, our dear friend Don Banner was diagnosed with leukemia.  After spending nearly 5 weeks receiving chemotherapy treatment at the University of Michigan Hospital, Don was healthy enough to return home to Parchment for a short time while the process to find a stem cell donor was started.

The good (wonderful, awesome, inspiring) news is that they have found a stem cell match, and the donor is ready to help Don!  Don and Terese will head back to U of M for the transplant at the beginning of April.  After about three or four weeks, as long as he is stable enough, they will be able to leave the hospital. 

However, they will not be able to return home after the stem cell transplant, since the transplant team recommends living within close proximity to the U of M hospital.  Don will need to return often for treatments and follow-up appointments for several months after his transplant, and in the event of any emergencies, being close by the U of M hospital is a necessity.  Don and Terese will need to rent an apartment or house from May through July or August.  

The funds raised in this campaign will be used to alleviate the costs associated with rental housing close to Ann Arbor, living expenses, utilities, and travel for all of the Banners as they commute to and from Kalamazoo to visit Don.   We are hoping to raise the funds by May 1 so Don and Terese can just focus on the treatment and recovery, not on the financial burdens of Don's illness! 

"Dear Don" facebook support group