Douglas' Medical & Other Bills Fund
Donation protected
This campaign is to help save Douglas Nelson from losing everything, all because of getting cancer, and having it come back after four years of remission. The side effects and complications of the aggressive chemotherapy regimens have left him completely disabled.
Though currently in a fragile state, Douglas is a fighter. I've never met anyone with a stronger work ethic, and tolerance for pain. Were it up to him, Doug would still be working 80 hour weeks like he did throughout chemo, despite letters from his Oncologist pleading that his employer make reasonable accomodations (like a 40 hour work week, being able to take breaks when needed, etc.)
After ignoring his Doctors' requests, and nearly working him to death, his employer forced him on FMLA this past May. It was right after finishing the last of the weekly chemo treatments he had been getting for months. It was quite a shock. Thinking the worst was over, suddenly he was given 7 days to pack and move out of the company apartment, where he had been living for over 4 years.
With the help of several caring neighbors and former customers, he loaded up a moving truck and said goodbye to the quiet island he had grown to love. As luck would have it though, the truck broke down less then an hour from where he left, and was he was stranded for over 12 hours waiting on roadside assistence.
Eventually he made it back to his house in Cape Coral, where he had provided a home for his elderly parents for nearly a decade. Of all his siblings, Douglas was the only one to make sure they were always taken care of. It upset him greatly to come to the realization that not only was he going to be unable to help them as much as he used to, but that he would soon be in desperate need of help himself.
Jobless, feeling helpless, and with unpaid bills piling up, a crippling depression set in. Then the doorbell rang; a certified letter arrived stating that the mortgage company intends to foreclose on the house that he had never once been late on a payment for in 10 years, until now. To top it all off, the side effects of chemo caused a severe loss of coordination (imagine needing a cane and a portable oxygen tank just to walk). Falling over, passing out, and barely being able to get up became everyday occurences.
His whole body quickly became covered in bruises, then sciatica (throbbing back pain that goes down through the legs) set in, along with another lower back injury. The prognosis for the back injuries- sorry there's nothing we can do other then treat for the pain. However living in South Florida, where pill mills were so common just a few years ago, nowadays it's almost impossible for people who need pain medications to get them. So they suffer needlessly because the DEA decided to crack down to the point that Dr's are afraid to prescribe anything more then mild pain relievers.
Douglas' medications are very expensive. The copays alone are over a thousand dollars a month, and that's WITH INSURANCE. Before starting his medical leave, he had already reached the out of pocket maximum for the year. After taking away his source of income, his employer switched insurance providers to save a few dollars. As a result, he became responsible for expensive copays on his prescriptions again, as well as a higher deductible (that he had met already with the previous insurance carrier). At the time of writing this, he has several prescriptions sitting at Walgreens because they cost too much money. Simply put, Douglas is picking and choosing which medications to take based on price, instead of how well they work to treat his injuries and illnesses.
With no income coming in, and his FMLA coming to an end, Douglas faces a new dilemma- he will soon have little or no health insurance to pay for his continued treatments, medications, and exams. The last scan showed glass nodules in his lungs that could be cancerous, but he has no money to do anything about it. He's also developed a rash that he fears could be melanoma. Again though, he can't afford to see a Dr to do anything about it.
He's applied for Social Security Disability benefits, including Medicaid, but it takes up to 120 days for the government to approve it. That's FOUR MONTHS of NO INCOME, on top of the nearly three months of unpaid FMLA leave. Douglas was counting on going back to work after the leave of abscence; it was only recently that he realized he may never be able to work again.
Please watch the video made with pictures all taken since the first cancer diagnosis. Hopefully you will find a special place in your heart for this young man, who has already lost a brother to cancer at the age of 40. His dad currently has cancer as well. Sometimes we can all use a helping hand. Douglas is holding on for a miracle.
If you can't afford to donate money, there are other ways you can help. Please share this page with as many people as possible. Tweet it. Post a picture on Instagram with a link to this campaign. (Feel free to use any of the pictures from this page.) Share it on Facebook, and any other social networking sites you use. Ask your church to do a collection for him. Post campaign posters anywhere that has a bulletin board- supermarket, laudromat, etc..
Any and all help would be greatly appreciated, and will go directly to Douglas (other then a small fee of 5% charged by GoFundMe, and a 2.75% fee by the payment processor). Around 8% may seem like a lot, but many non-profits spend 40-50% of funds raised just to raise more funds. Website hosting is not cheap, and considering that the campaigns can be found by others on the same site who might consider donating, GoFundMe's 5% fee is very reasonable.
A nice feature that GoFundMe also offers is the ability to add contributions raised offline (or by other means) to the campaign total, and give credit to the donor if so desired. Feel free to contact Douglas directly if you want to contribute "offline" / using a different payment method.
Thanks in advance for your donations, prayers, and continued support!
Though currently in a fragile state, Douglas is a fighter. I've never met anyone with a stronger work ethic, and tolerance for pain. Were it up to him, Doug would still be working 80 hour weeks like he did throughout chemo, despite letters from his Oncologist pleading that his employer make reasonable accomodations (like a 40 hour work week, being able to take breaks when needed, etc.)
After ignoring his Doctors' requests, and nearly working him to death, his employer forced him on FMLA this past May. It was right after finishing the last of the weekly chemo treatments he had been getting for months. It was quite a shock. Thinking the worst was over, suddenly he was given 7 days to pack and move out of the company apartment, where he had been living for over 4 years.
With the help of several caring neighbors and former customers, he loaded up a moving truck and said goodbye to the quiet island he had grown to love. As luck would have it though, the truck broke down less then an hour from where he left, and was he was stranded for over 12 hours waiting on roadside assistence.
Eventually he made it back to his house in Cape Coral, where he had provided a home for his elderly parents for nearly a decade. Of all his siblings, Douglas was the only one to make sure they were always taken care of. It upset him greatly to come to the realization that not only was he going to be unable to help them as much as he used to, but that he would soon be in desperate need of help himself.
Jobless, feeling helpless, and with unpaid bills piling up, a crippling depression set in. Then the doorbell rang; a certified letter arrived stating that the mortgage company intends to foreclose on the house that he had never once been late on a payment for in 10 years, until now. To top it all off, the side effects of chemo caused a severe loss of coordination (imagine needing a cane and a portable oxygen tank just to walk). Falling over, passing out, and barely being able to get up became everyday occurences.
His whole body quickly became covered in bruises, then sciatica (throbbing back pain that goes down through the legs) set in, along with another lower back injury. The prognosis for the back injuries- sorry there's nothing we can do other then treat for the pain. However living in South Florida, where pill mills were so common just a few years ago, nowadays it's almost impossible for people who need pain medications to get them. So they suffer needlessly because the DEA decided to crack down to the point that Dr's are afraid to prescribe anything more then mild pain relievers.
Douglas' medications are very expensive. The copays alone are over a thousand dollars a month, and that's WITH INSURANCE. Before starting his medical leave, he had already reached the out of pocket maximum for the year. After taking away his source of income, his employer switched insurance providers to save a few dollars. As a result, he became responsible for expensive copays on his prescriptions again, as well as a higher deductible (that he had met already with the previous insurance carrier). At the time of writing this, he has several prescriptions sitting at Walgreens because they cost too much money. Simply put, Douglas is picking and choosing which medications to take based on price, instead of how well they work to treat his injuries and illnesses.
With no income coming in, and his FMLA coming to an end, Douglas faces a new dilemma- he will soon have little or no health insurance to pay for his continued treatments, medications, and exams. The last scan showed glass nodules in his lungs that could be cancerous, but he has no money to do anything about it. He's also developed a rash that he fears could be melanoma. Again though, he can't afford to see a Dr to do anything about it.
He's applied for Social Security Disability benefits, including Medicaid, but it takes up to 120 days for the government to approve it. That's FOUR MONTHS of NO INCOME, on top of the nearly three months of unpaid FMLA leave. Douglas was counting on going back to work after the leave of abscence; it was only recently that he realized he may never be able to work again.
Please watch the video made with pictures all taken since the first cancer diagnosis. Hopefully you will find a special place in your heart for this young man, who has already lost a brother to cancer at the age of 40. His dad currently has cancer as well. Sometimes we can all use a helping hand. Douglas is holding on for a miracle.
If you can't afford to donate money, there are other ways you can help. Please share this page with as many people as possible. Tweet it. Post a picture on Instagram with a link to this campaign. (Feel free to use any of the pictures from this page.) Share it on Facebook, and any other social networking sites you use. Ask your church to do a collection for him. Post campaign posters anywhere that has a bulletin board- supermarket, laudromat, etc..
Any and all help would be greatly appreciated, and will go directly to Douglas (other then a small fee of 5% charged by GoFundMe, and a 2.75% fee by the payment processor). Around 8% may seem like a lot, but many non-profits spend 40-50% of funds raised just to raise more funds. Website hosting is not cheap, and considering that the campaigns can be found by others on the same site who might consider donating, GoFundMe's 5% fee is very reasonable.
A nice feature that GoFundMe also offers is the ability to add contributions raised offline (or by other means) to the campaign total, and give credit to the donor if so desired. Feel free to contact Douglas directly if you want to contribute "offline" / using a different payment method.
Thanks in advance for your donations, prayers, and continued support!
Organizer and beneficiary
Brian Nooning
Organizer
Cape Coral, FL
Douglas Nelson
Beneficiary