Help Zach Destroy Cancer

As many of you know my younger brother Zach was diagnosed with cancer in June. This GoFundMe is for him and his story is below.

In the words of Zach:

To my family, friends, and anyone else about to begin reading:

The past year and a half of my life has been a clusterf***. As most of you know, I lost my brother, Matt Amelung in June of 2019 to melanoma skin cancer. It was and continues to be one of the most difficult things to cope with.

During this time, I began experiencing a plethora of symptoms starting with chronic diarrhea and back pain but eventually working their way up to include overwhelming nausea and weight loss. It was horrible. I was unable to sleep. I couldn't keep food down. I truly wouldn't wish it on anyone.

As most of you know, I was still seen by a team of cardiologists and nephrolgists for regular check ups of my heart and kidney function. This is due to the heart transplant I received when I was 10 days old. I had made them all aware of the symptoms I was experiencing but we all agreed they would work themselves out eventually. Obviously, that did not happen.

Fast forward to June of 2020! After a few more months of excruciating pain and discomfort, I was finally scheduled for a colonoscapy. The results were inconclusive but it did lead the doctors to push for a CAT scan, which I had done shortly after. The scan confirmed my worst fear: I had cancer.

At the end of the month I was officially diagnosed with PTLD (Post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorder) which is a form of lymphoma that typically affects transplant recipients. Things moved pretty fast after the diagnosis. I was transferred to a new set of cardiologists and an oncologist team at Barnes Jewish Hospital downtown. I began my first round of chemotherapy a few days later.

Then, a couple of days after that, my oncologist called to inform me that the full results were in and showed that I had what is known as a "double hit" lymphoma. Basically, it is a more aggressive form of the cancer and increases the chances of spreading to other areas.

Holy shit.

I was as anxious and nervous as you could expect. Fortunately, my oncologist had a plan which included increasing my chemotherapy dose, immediately. I was scheduled to have a port placement surgery soon after. A port allows for the nurses to attach a needle easier and safer for someone like me, who has to get frequent blood drawn or injections.

Along with increasing the dose of the chemo, I was given a pump to allow it to run over a 5 day period at home, instead of in the hospital. It's really just a more expensive fanny pack and it has honestly been the most convenient part of this whole process.

After the port was successfully placed, I was scheduled to have a lumbar puncture (spinal tap) prior to each chemotherapy injection to, you guessed it, inject more chemotherapy. This time they would also sample the spinal fluid to ensure the cancer hasn't spread to other areas.

I was scheduled for 6 full cycles of chemo. 5 more spinal taps. I also had to go through constantly changing my medications. But the only thing on my mind was the upcoming PET scan.

Thankfully in August we got some great news! The results of the scan showed that the cancer completely responded to the various treatments and I was (am) in remission! I was relieved. I still have one more cycle to get through, one more spinal tap and one more crucial PET scan in November.

That brings me to why I am writing all of this. Due to all of the chronic side effects of treatment, the doctor's appointments and of course COVID-19, I have been unable to work since June. Prior to all of this, I had just begun a full time position with Regions bank in March but I unfortunately do not meet the requirements to qualify for short term disability.

My oncologist has also advised me to stay off of work until at least January due to COVID and cold and flu season. This is because my white blood cell count will be extremely low for the next few months and that leaves me extremely prone to infection. Most of you who know me, know that I am not great at asking for help when I need it. But this seems like the appropriate time. 

I know that everything is crazy right now and we are not the only ones struggling, but if you'd like to join in this fight, my family and I have set a "goal" of $5,000. This will help cover some of my medical bills along with my regular bills until I am able to return to work. If you are unable to contribute, all we ask is that you share this page so that we can reach as many people as possible. Again, thank you for taking the time to read my story.

With love and hope,

The Amelungs