George Ginn's 2018 Medical Expenses

Anyone that knows my Dad, George, can tell you he is a very smart, capable, hardworking man! In all my life I have never known him to sit still. If he and my Mom, Adele, were not working, they were renovating something, or helping someone else, or going somewhere (either to help someone else, or off with their motorcycles). That is, until the summer of 2016, when life came to a screeching halt! He had been coughing and just didn't feel right, so he decided to go to the emergency room. After an x-ray they diagnosed him with pneumonia and admitted him for treatment. After almost two weeks of different IV antibiotics, it just would not go away. They finally brought in the pulmonologist to see him, and he was diagnosed with Pulmonary Fibrosis (PF) and Interstitial Lung Disease (ILD), which is related to his Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA). PF/ILD causes inflammation and scarring of the lung tissue, which may have looked like pneumonia in the x-ray, causing the misdiagnosis. The inflammation and scar tissue make it difficult to breathe and get oxygen into the bloodstream. It is a chronic, progressive disease, and there is no cure. You can only hope to slow the progression as much as possible, with the final step being a lung transplant. Since that two week stay in the hospital, he has had to remain on oxygen 24/7. They have had to sell both of their motorcycles, so they have not ridden since then. And he has been forced into early retirement due to this disease. He was able to maintain health insurance through the marketplace with assistance for 2017, but could not continue with the inflated premiums in 2018. This caused him to have to give up his primary care physician, his Pulmonologist and his Rheumatologist, to rely only on the VA clinics and hospital for the rest of this year (next year he can apply for medicare). The VA Rheumatologist immediately switched him from Rituxan to Humira (the only drug VA would approve). The Rituxan seemed to actually be keeping the disease from progressing too fast, but since he was given the Humira, he has felt like he has steadily gotten worse. He has had no choice but to reach out to his prior Rheumatologist to request being seen on a cash basis, and the doctor has agreed to work with him. He has also contacted the manufacturer of Rituxan and has been approved for assistance with the medication itself. This is where we need help. He started with his first Rituxan infusion Friday (3/23) (in the picture). He will have to have a second infusion in 2 weeks to complete this first set. In another 6 months he will have to have another set of 2 infusions. Each of these 6-hour infusions will cost $750.00. He will also have monthly lab appointments and bi-monthly doctor visits to monitor how he is doing. Just as he has fought to stay strong against the RA for all these years, he is fighting against the PF/ILD too. Anything you can donate to help with this fight would be greatly appreciated! Thank you for taking the time to read this.