Help a young father fight a rare cancer!

This is my brother, Mitch. Sadly, Mitch's story is one that will likely resonate with many because most everyone knows someone with cancer, or who has had their life affected by cancer.

In 2014, at the age of 24, less than 2 years after marrying the love of his life, Kira, Mitch received a diagnosis of osteosarcoma, a rare type of bone cancer. At that time he had to undergo intense chemotherapy, a partial shoulder removal surgery, and radiation therapy.  After Mitch completed his treatment, he and Kira changed to a healthier diet and lifestyle in an effort to avoid any recurrence. They still do all they can to avoid exposure to pesticides and harmful chemicals in an effort to be as healthy as possible. 

In 2019, Mitch made it to the 5-year milestone and was declared cancer-free! He could finally, happily start his normal, cancer-free life. Mitch and Kira purchased their first home and began their family. By early 2021, they had welcomed their second daughter.

Between 2019 and 2021, after the birth of each of their daughters, health issues with the girls were discovered. While they spent time in the NICU when each girl was born, I'm happy to say that they're both now doing great.

In August of 2021, Mitch went in for routine blood work and scans. After the blood work results came back requiring additional testing, in October, Mitch was diagnosed with MDS also known as Myelodysplastic syndrome. This is a type of cancer that occurs when the blood-forming cells in the bone marrow become abnormal. MDS is a precursor to acute myeloid leukemia. A direct by-product of the chemotherapy he endured years ago. According to the MDS Foundation, a stem cell transplant is considered the ONLY WAY to potentially cure MDS.

The medical, emotional, and financial hardships this young family has endured in a few short years are more than most people go through in a lifetime. Unfortunately, they're not young enough to receive the support that childhood cancer patients and their families receive and they're not old enough to receive at-home health care support such as Medicare patients.

The stem cell transplant process will cause Mitch to have virtually no immune system. He will likely spend about a month in the hospital, then when he returns home, he will need to live in isolation from his daughters and dog for almost a year. The most stringent protocols will need to be in place to prevent relapse, infection, and a condition known as graft versus host disease (GVHD), which is the body's way of rejecting donor cells that would require additional immunosuppressant drugs to combat the condition. And there's no guarantee of being cured.

Each time Mitch and Kira have been faced with a medical hardship, be it theirs or their daughters, doctors have explained that their circumstance falls within "the 1%." "Only 1% of babies born have this problem, only 1% of osteosarcoma patients develop this type of complication." Mitch recently said he's tired of being in the 1%.

Mitch and Kira are two of the strongest people we have ever known. Their tenacity, courage, and resilience in the face of hardship is a testament to facing every possible challenge with wisdom and grace, but they still need our help...

Any type of support is a blessing even if you can't donate monetarily at this time, please consider supporting Mitch's cause in other ways:

*Sharing this link on social media or via email

*Registering at https://my.bethematch.org/s/join? Even if you're not a compatible match for Mitch, you may be someone else's lifesaver. ( You must be between 18-40 to register to donate).

*Volunteering to deliver groceries (amazon.com) 

*Praying if you're religious or sending positive thoughts and well wishes. You can always send an encouraging card or send a care package. Just good thoughts go a long way.

**Learn more about MDS and supporting its research:

https://www.mds-foundation.org/what-is-mds/

 

IN THE BATTLE AGAINST CANCER, IT TRULY TAKES AN ARMY TO DEFEAT AN UTTERLY DESPICABLE DISEASE!

 

Thank you in advance for any type of support you can give.

#mitchsminions