My name is Alan Rustad. I have Acute Myeloid Leukemia or AML. Never in a million years would I have thought that I would have a need so great that I would need to ask everyone I know and many who I don’t know for help. It is very humbling and I still have difficulty at times really grasping the severity of my situation. My wife Rita and I live in Springfield, Oregon, in a home we bought and remodeled seven years ago. I am a contractor in the building trades.

I have been dealing with cancer since May of 2019 when I was diagnosed with prostate cancer. I had a radical prosectomy October 30, 2019. At first I thought the surgery had gone well. During the next few months, however, my PSA count went up, indicating that I still had cancer from my prostate. It had taken me five very difficult months during the pandemic to regain the stamina to start working again, and now I was looking at eight weeks of salvage radiation treatments. I had the salvage radiation therapy in March and April of 2021. Again, I missed several months of work dealing with the side effects of the radiation. I was told I was cancer free on August 5th of 2021. For the second time in two years, I diligently got my body back into shape to work full time.

In late January, I started missing a day or two of work here and there. By the middle of February, I missed a full week and thought I had the flu. A visit to the Dr. and A bone marrow biopsy a week later revealed the AML. To be quite honest I was devastated by the diagnosis. I have not been able to work since the middle of February. My body is too weak to do the carpentry work I make my living with. AML is a blood cancer where my body makes immature white bloods cells instead of healthy mature ones. These immature cells then start to crowd out other healthy cells.

For the last three years, I have been up and down physically, financially and mentally. We have exhausted our savings, and now have some huge expenses coming in the near future. Right now, I am waiting to be scheduled for a Bone Marrow Transplant at OHSU in Portland, Oregon, at the end of July. I have a donor in place, and am just finishing up the Chemotherapy I started two months ago. After that, I will need to make arrangements to live in Portland for 100 days or so after the transplant. The hospital stay itself I’m told is two to three weeks. The 100 days are the days most critical in bone marrow transplants, because of the risk of infection and the Dr’s at OHSU want me in close proximity to them in case of the need for emergency treatments.

Any money raised will be used for medical and living expenses. The 100 days in Portland by itself will cost close to $20,000. I will be required to have a caregiver with me at all times. It breaks down to $150.00 a night for lodging for two people, plus living expenses, and gas for trips to Springfield and back. Then, of course, I still need to maintain my residence in Springfield while I am being treated in Portland. The rest of the money will be used for medical expenses already incurred and ongoing medical expenses. I am told that even after my 100 day stay in Portland,it could easily take another 6-9 months for me to return to work.

My wife Rita will be my primary caregiver for the time in Portland. Other family members will give her a break now and again during the process. Now, I just need a little help from others so that I don’t go bankrupt while we go through the process of a bone marrow transplant. I am very thankful for my Doctors, nurses and other medical staff involved in my care. I never thought I would be in a position like I am now. I have always worked hard and given back to my community. Being on this end of a need can be very scary and I have shed my share of tears concerning the matter. I live in constant pain from the chemotherapy and just cannot escape the side effects from that part of my treatment.

Any help you can give will be put to good use, and be responsibly spent and applied to my illness. To all of you who choose to give, you have our sincere deepest thanks and appreciation. To those who don’t give, thank you for considering our need.

Alan Rustad