Dawn Jeter Needs Your Help!

Dawn Jeter, a 46-year old Mississippian, was diagnosed with a very rare form of Hodgkin's Lymphoma in August 2014 and immediately began chemo treatment. She continued the ABVD chemo regime through June 2015 .  During this time Dawn had another PetScan and something showed up in the breast area and she was ordered to have a mammography and sonogram. Doctors still could not determine what the lump was they were seeing so a biopsy was ordered.  The day Dawn was on the biopsy table having the procedure done, the University of Mississippi released her from her job at the William Winter Institute with no warning and no reasonable accommodation for another position was made.  This was a decision made higher than her "then" direct supervisor and Gov. Winter was not notified either. Dawn was a 20 yr veteran of the University with shining performance evaluations since 1998. Not only did they cut Dawn loose from her position without a valid excuse or anything in writing, but they dropped her insurance completely in the midst of the cancer tests, chemo and medications, which are still required for her today.  It also left her daughter and son without any medical coverage. Her son has only one kidney and it doesn't function at 100% , so she now had this burden as well as lack of job and insurance for herself. Unemployment ran out on Dawn in December and Ole Miss turned her down for over 9 positions for which she was qualified for.  This has become a federal EEOC disability case and the University has chosen not to settle out of court so no settlement has been made at this time. It  will be going to federal court. An interim dean forced her supervisor to let her go without notice and without another job because he cut a deal with another department for more space and was going to give a younger male Dawn's office and combine their jobs for him. BIG FEDERAL EEOC NO-NO!        So, Dawn remained cancer-free until October 2015, at which time she began having problems alluding her to the idea that it may have relapsed. Sure enough a PetScan in early November 2015 revealed the lymphoma had reoccurred on the opposite site of her upper torso. At this juncture, Dawn and her oncologist discussed a much stronger chemo regime, one in which she was  required to check in Baptist Hospital for a week at a time and take the highly toxic ECHAP chemo regime. The chemo ran for 96 hours around the clock for the entire week. Dawn returned home for 14 days to recover, which left her bedridden many times and immobile without assistance due to extreme pain and weakness.  After a two weeks period each time, she checked right back in for the next week's treatment. It was anticipated she would need 4 to 6 weeks of this chemo but after the third week her oncologist chose to stop due to some lingering issues from chemo and sent her down to The Cancer Institute and Transplation Center at the UM Medical Center to meet Dr. Stephanie Elkins and begin the pre-testing for bone marrow harvesting and stem cell transplant.

The transplant alone is very costly but various other expenses such as travel, hotel, home sterilization and cleaning  per doctors orders, as well as personal outside caregivers will be necessary the first 100 days upon her arrival home. Professional cleaning services will have to be paid to keep the home sterile the first 100 days home as well as air filtration systems due to her low immunity. Dawn is required to see a dentist prior to the transplant and has no dental insurance since leaving the University in Oxford.  All of it was cut off without notice. She's already had a $300 dental bill and another $300 coming up  May 5th. She is also required to see a psychiatrist PRIOR to the bone marrow harvesting or stem cell transplant. Dawn and Clift have been told to plan for 4-6 weeks stay in Jackson for transplant, then several trips back for monitoring blood counts, immunity and to receive possible booster shots. As one nurse told her, "we will take you down to near death wiping out your red and white blood cells and platelets and will slowly bring you back up if no difficulties.

At this time, with the pre-testing schedule and bone marrow harvesting in just a few weeks, a benefit is not feasible. however, if you feel it on your heart yo make a donation to help alleviate some of Dawn's expenses, you may do so right here at this secure transaction site on gofundme at gofundme.com/djetercancerfund, or - some are not comfortable giving funds over the Internet ( although this is secure) you may simply make checks payable to Mrs. Dawn Jeter and mail to Dawn Jeter Cancer Fund, PO Box 10, Thaxton, MS 38871.

Please help this family cut the head off of this cancer giant, never to relapse again. May God richly bless you for supporting this family during such a traumatic time in their lives.