Dear Family and Friends,

As some of you know, Alec was diagnosed with Stage 4 of a rare and aggressive Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma in February 2024 after 6 months of crippling pain and symptoms as his health rapidly deteriorated. In the 6 months leading up to his diagnosis, he had multiple hospitalizations, tests, and biopsies, and consulted with various types of specialists who were unable to diagnose him, despite his rapidly growing list of debilitating symptoms and loss of over 25% of his body weight. His cancer diagnosis finally came while in the ICU with multiple organ failure at Johns Hopkins. Thankfully, the medical experts at Johns Hopkins worked vigorously to quickly diagnose and treat him before he was hours away from potentially succumbing. Although it was a tough journey, he was able to finish his chemo in the months following his diagnosis with the support of his wife and their family, friends, and colleagues who rallied behind him. By July 2024, he reached remission and was thought to be potentially "cured" based on his scans.

Unfortunately, Alec began to relapse in September 2024 and was soon hospitalized in critical condition twice in one month. He will now need to do a bone marrow transplant as a second attempt to cure him of this aggressive cancer. The upcoming transplant and recovery process will be outpatient, but it will require long daily hospital visits for treatment for 60 days, where he will be unable to work. During those critical 60 days, he will require a 24/7 primary caregiver who will be responsible for transport and at-home monitoring in case of transplant complications. His wife Regina will be his primary caregiver and thus will be unable to work full time during this period. Unfortunately, she has also exhausted her PTO in caring and supporting him in the past year, and through his current chemo treatments.

The upcoming loss of income for two or more months combined with expenses related to the transplant will be a challenge for Alec and Regina. As you can imagine, the financial burden of out-of-pocket medical costs, travel, lodging, and general living expenses will add additional stress to an already emotional time for them. With your generosity, we can help reduce some of this stress so they can focus on persevering through what will be a difficult treatment and a long road to recovery. Please consider donating what you can as it can make a difference to bring them peace of mind. Thank you in advance for your contributions. We are grateful for your kindness.