Donn Rawlings - AKA SCB

Donn Rawlings – Super Cancer Boy (43 YO)!!

My name is Jennifer Simpson and I am the supportive partner of Donn Rawlings, self-named Super Cancer Boy (more on that below).

If you don’t already know Donn, then let me tell you that I have never met a kinder, selfless, and more loving and caring human being in my life. He is in for a long and difficult fight, and I hope you will read his story and consider supporting him.

Recently, Donn had become tired all the time. Labor Day weekend, his leg became swollen and painful, but he hadn’t suffered an injury, so we were stumped. This went on for a few weeks but did not resolve as it should have.

Then he woke up on Sept. 29th with a softball-sized lump under his left arm. We went to Urgent Care, who sent us immediately to the hospital Emergency Room. When we got to the ER, we thought maybe an infection. We really had no idea what was coming.

After 6 hours of waiting, blood work, MRI, and various pokes and prods, the ER doctor told us she had never had to give this diagnosis before from the ER, but that tests showed that he had some kind of cancer and would need to be admitted for further testing.

He was in the hospital for 4 days in a state of shock and constant fear while they performed tests and finally surgery for a biopsy. At last, he was released, right before he started a hospital riot (I’m not kidding).

We were given an urgent appointment with the Oncologist set for 10 days after his release (in spite of my pleading, bullying, and stalking attempts to get in sooner – but the number of potential cancer patients waiting for appointments is startlingly huge).

Finally, we had the Oncologist appointment on the following Thursday, 2 weeks after leaving the hospital. The initial diagnosis while waiting for additional testing is advanced Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma (DLBCL), which is marked by rapidly growing tumors in the lymph nodes, spleen, liver, bone marrow, or other tissues and organs.

Donn was immediately scheduled for surgery to insert his port the following Monday, with Chemotherapy starting the next day. The urgency of the Oncology team is frankly both terrifying and reassuring – terrifying because of what it means for the ultimate diagnosis, but reassuring that we are moving quickly.

We still have several more tests to find out the extent of the spread to his bones and organs, and to determine the stage, as well as if there is more than one type of cancer involved (hence Super Cancer Boy – he said if you’re going to get it, do it right!). We were only told that it was advanced DLBCL.

We’re obviously still in shock, doubly so when we received the $78,000 hospital bill; before insurance deductions of course, but still….YIKES!! We are starting to see significant medical costs rolling in even prior to his treatment starting.

What we know at this point is that he will be receiving intensive intravenous and oral chemotherapy, which will likely last about 6 months but could be longer, and other treatments may be necessary. Having said that, we don’t yet have the final treatment plan because there are still so many tests to complete and so many variables that go into the diagnosis and treatment.

Three weeks ago, Donn was a healthy, energetic, hard-working young-ish man (43 is the new 21). And now he can barely make it to the bathroom without needing to take a break from the severe pain and fatigue. Getting him into the hospital and doctors’ offices is almost comical.

When his doctor said he would qualify for a temporary Disability tag, he said “I don’t need that!”; when I reminded him he had to take 3 breaks trying to get from the car into the doctor’s office he said “Okay, and I want a scooter and a wheelchair and ALL the stuff.” I handed him a shower seat. Sometimes we need to laugh until we cry, right?

As you can imagine, his medical expenses are substantial and piling up fast. On top of that, he is completely incapacitated and no longer able to work, much less even get around without help. This results in significant lost work time for me as well.

We could not ask for a better Employer and Workplace; they have been nothing but accommodating and supportive to both of us during this horrendous time (yes, we work together as well. You’d think that would be too much time together, but for us it’s not).

So, we would be so grateful for any financial support you could spare. I’ve tried to summarize below our immediate concerns, and will update with specific details as charges are finalized and additional tests and diagnoses are completed.

• Remember that $78,000 hospital bill? We still don’t know what our co-pays and deductibles will be for that, but we do know it may be substantial. That does not include his upcoming port surgery.

• Additionally, medication and chemotherapy for the foreseeable future will be an ongoing expense but not a negotiable treatment requirement.

• The estimated costs for the ongoing medical appointments with a variety of specialists, as well as the upcoming bone-marrow biopsy and PET scan, are daunting.

• Long-term 100% loss of income is a significant concern, as our workplace is not large enough to support Short-Term Disability, although I know they would if they could.

• All applications for aid have been submitted, but if approved that will be months down the line and they will not even cover loss of (his) income alone, much less medical expenses.

We recognize that any financial support people contribute is a personal sacrifice for everyone, and we are committed to being fiscally responsible and accounting for any expenses this fund is used for. We will provide frequent updates and details. Our estimated GoFundMe goal is $35,000, which is based on 10%-20% medical cost-sharing we will be personally liable for, as well as the minimum required monthly living expenses resulting from loss of income.

Our personal savings is almost depleted, and we cannot medically afford any delay in treatment. This is truly a matter of life or death, and we must proceed now.

Thank you for hanging in there and reading our story. We are so grateful for your support.