My mother is approaching a bittersweet crossroad.

Meet Ethel

She’s tougher than overcooked steak and currently battling a rare and aggressive form of cancer, Myelodysplastic Syndrome (MDS). Ethel was told by Hematology Oncologists in March 2026 that she only has 6-7 months to live on chemotherapy, and the only cure is a Bone Marrow Transplant. The matriarch of our family, our last surviving parent and grandparent, and a born-again FAITH-FILLED Christian (not your average Sunday Christian either). My mom has overcome so many trials and tribulations and grew up during an era where you played the hand life dealt and you play to win. I envy her because she took that “hand” of cards she was given with grace, drive, determination, and no excuses in the game called life. Her testimony is humbling, and she’s still got fight left in her. So, stand together with me, my mom, our family, your friend, sister in Christ, your family as we kick cancer's butt and give her a new lease on life!

The Diagnosis That Changed Everything

After countless tests and two painful bone marrow biopsies, Ethel was diagnosed with TP53-Mutated Myelodysplastic Syndrome (MDS). MDS is a rare and life-threatening blood disorder that affects how her bone marrow produces blood cells. It affects every 5 out of 100,000 people yearly. Adding more icing on the cake, TP53 Mutation is even more rare and much more aggressive, affecting only 5%-10% of MDS patients, and leads to Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML). How did she get this way? Not genetics, but previous chemotherapy treatments when she fought and beat breast and several other cancers as a Spring Chicken and Mother Hen… Like I said, she has a testimony that would humble you.

To better understand, all of the cells in the bone marrow are damaged or mutated and have problems making new blood cells. Many of the blood cells that are made by these damaged cells are not normal. The abnormal blood cells die sooner than normal cells, leaving the person without enough normal blood cells and with low blood counts. My mom is deficient in red blood cells (transport oxygen to/from the lungs and tissue, and carbon dioxide waste out of the body), white blood cells (hunts and destroys harmful bacteria, viruses, parasites, and fungi that enter the body), and platelets.

We or she had never heard of MDS before. Most people haven’t. At first, doctors told her she had 1 and a half years to live. Then, after further testing, that estimate dropped to just 6 to 7 months. There’s no cure. No magic pill. The only hope is aggressive chemotherapy and a very risky bone marrow stem cell transplant.

Prognosis Is Grim, But Ethel Is Full of Hope

Within days of the diagnosis, aggressive chemotherapy began. We had no time to reach or have a pity party. With my mom setting the tone, she went to war!! Now, we are asking you to join her army and fight for a full healing and recovery!!

Since April, she has been receiving two forms of chemotherapy 7 days a week (not weekends) every two weeks. The hair we finally grew in thick fell out, so she and I cut our hair off (Her hair is NOT her crown!). Ethel developed Neutropenia – a deficit in Neutrophils. Neutrophils are the first responders to infections, rushing in to destroy bacteria. The average person has 2,500 – 7,000 cells; Ethel had 80! Seems like an exaggeration, but a simple cold would put her in the ICU or possibly a coma. She has to have filtered bottled water, no fresh fruits or flowers, no gardening; simply put, our household has been on CDC Pandemic Protocols and she has been quarantined. My kids, nephew, and wife are troopers!! She has had two blood transfusions and two platelet transfusions (both against her beliefs, but my mom refuses to lay down and die). These transfusions take hours.

God Is Good All The Time, and All The Time?

After months of tests, pokes, scans, chemo, and enough hospital bracelets to decorate a Christmas tree, Ethel has been given a second chance at life (literally). Finally, she got some incredible news: Dana Farber found a bone marrow donor who is a PERFECT 10 out of 10 match and willing to commit to the donation process. Her transplant is scheduled for July 19th at Dana-Farber Hospital in Boston, and this procedure is her best shot at beating this awful disease.

However, treatment and recovery is not easy at all. It is an exhaustive, painful, and expensive process. Prior to admission, she has to have a battery of testing, lab work, and another bone marrow biopsy. She is preadmitted to surgically have two lines placed (one leading to her heart) and begin an even more aggressive chemo regimen. The transplant replaces the cells in Ethel's bone marrow with the cells from a donor's healthy bone marrow. This means she will have a new immune system, and even blood type – she will be as vulnerable as a newborn baby. In the medical world, it is referred to as a “rebirth” and the BMT date is called “Day Zero”.

She will be quarantined in a hospital bed for a minimum of 6 weeks. Ethel will then need to have 24-hour care for the next 100 days, and longer. Here is just a glimpse of the requirements and restrictions:

• Our home must be disinfected with all fabric curtains washed, and carpets and fabric couches professionally cleaned.

• She is not allowed to be exposed to chemicals, so she cannot clean for at least the first year.

• Bed sheets must be washed every other day.

• No leftovers – fresh or frozen meals only.

• No fruits that don’t have peels.

• No veggies that come from sprouts.

• Filtered water only.

• No yard work or gardening of any kind.

• No live plants or flowers.

Now for the not-so-funny part… Finances and why we are asking for additional support.

Ethel is on Medicare, which helps… sort of.

It covers portions of treatment, but leaves behind mountains of expenses that would make anyone choke on their pudding cups. Between aggressive chemo every two weeks, medications, hospital stays, ER visits, and co-pays to specialized doctors, these costs equal more than my mom makes in a month. Trust me, in her prime she worked two full-time jobs and was the breadwinner in our home. She raised six children and even took in some grandkids on her dime. America could be much kinder to our retired elderly!

To offset some of these costs for my mother, I have taken on two full-time jobs and one part-time job. She has moved in with me and my family of 7 (including my diabetic blind nephew), so she can save her money. I have taken out an FSA and an HSA at maximum amounts to help pay for medical bills related to chemotherapy, oncology, and hematology visits. My wife brings her to all of her local appointments, lab work, and chemo sessions. She even drives her to and from Boston, Mass from Rhode Island. Besides the time consumption, all while holding down our household, we shell out over $100/week easily with gas being over $4/gallon. Though there isn’t much I wouldn’t do for my mom, there is only so much we can do, which is why we are swallowing our pride to ask for immediate and extended family, friends, friends of friends, or just the kind-hearted to lend a hand. The money helps, but support comes in so many different forms – just know all forms are welcome on Team Ethel.

If you know Ethel, you know she’d rather wrestle a raccoon than ask for help. This is a woman who spent her life helping everyone else, feeding entire neighborhoods, giving unsolicited but usually correct advice, and somehow surviving decades of family chaos with only mild sarcasm. So, now it’s our turn to help her.

We’re raising funds to help cover:

• Bone marrow transplant expenses

• Travel and lodging for treatment in Boston

• Medications and recovery costs

• Groceries and daily living expenses

• Personal bills while she focuses on surviving instead of stressing about keeping her cell phone or internet on, and rent paid.

Let’s help Ethel have a few less worries, so she can focus on kicking cancer's butt and recovery. Join my mom’s army - she is in a fight for her life and you can be a part of a real-life miracle in the making.

Ethel’s favorite motivational phrase throughout this journey is “If you lay down, you stay down” and Honey, she refuses to go down without a brawl! So, let's show her she isn't alone as we stand with her ❤️ If you can donate, thank you from the bottom of our hearts. If you can’t, please share this page and/or send some love, prayers, good vibes, or winning lottery numbers. If you know my mom, she is a private warrior, so most people had no idea. Some are miles away or going through hard times. My mom knows everyone will help her in their best capacity. But as my mother's keeper, I know that your spare change will change EJ's future!

It’s hard to paint a picture of this beautiful soul, and why you should care or help. There are so many beautiful souls and people in dire situations – Just know my mom, Ethel, is praying for those beautiful souls too even in her time of need.

Oh. All proceeds go directly to my mom, Ethel's account.