Well, it’s time to share my journey. On April 3, 2023, I was diagnosed with CML (Chronic Myeloid Leukemia). For the past two years, my oncologist has been trying to treat my disease with medication without any success.

Thursday, March 6, 2025, I was admitted to Oregon Health & Science University Hospital in Portland, Oregon, for a stem cell transplant. This is going to be over a 100-day journey for me and my husband, Shawn Foraker, not realizing we would both be out of work longer than Oregon family leave will cover, along with receiving only 50% of our base wage.

Once I am discharged from the hospital, I must remain in Portland until I am cleared by the Transplant Team to go back home due to the possibility of contracting graft vs. host disease (which is very common with stem cell transplants). As most of you know, I am an only child, so the doctors and Transplant Team had to locate a bone marrow donor for me.

I am on day -1 of chemotherapy with the transplant to occur Thursday, March 13th, at 12 am. I’ve been told that within 10-15 days, I will be losing all my hair .

My husband will be relocating on March 27th to be my 24-hour, 7-day-a-week caretaker with no respite.

The financial burden of mortgage, travel expenses, utilities, car insurance, and daily necessities to maintain our home in Springfield for the next 4 months is growing beyond what we would have imagined.

We have NEVER asked for help or assistance, especially financial assistance, but we are in need of monetary support at this time.

We greatly appreciate anything you can and cannot do, and we will be sure to pay it forward after this long journey.

Thank you,

Shawn & Tammy Foraker