Help Dana Through His Bone Marrow Transplant

I am always the one to share and donate to gofundme campaigns, but now I guess it is our turn.

In November of 2023, my husband Dana went to the doctor because he was feeling dizzy and short of breath. He had a routine examination and blood work done. I came home from work late that evening and received a phone call saying I needed to get him to the ER immediately. His white blood cell count was abnormally high at 110,000 (normal would be 4,500 to 11,000). The ER doctors had to give us the news that it was most likely leukemia. After much debate between the doctors, they diagnosed him with Chronic Myeloid Leukemia… but presenting in the more advanced stage.

Several stays in the hospital, multiple incredibly expensive TKI drugs and three oncologists later… it was determined that the only hope for Dana is a Bone Marrow transplant. His cancer is incredibly unusual. Even the Research Oncologists at Fred Hutch are a bit baffled by it. The genetic abnormalities caused by the cancer are not something they see in someone his age.

Dana starts the intake process for a bone marrow transplant on August 27th. In all this, I have learned transplants aren’t what we have all learned from movies. Dana’s siblings weren’t determined to be good matches, but an acceptable donor was found. This gives him a 50-70% chance…which is better than nothing.

The good news is we have insurance that will cover most of the procedure. The bad news is insurance doesn’t cover the 100+ days of accommodations we are required to have for the transplant. Dana is required to be within 30 minutes of Fred Hutch and have a 24/7 family caregiver once the transplant is completed. I feel blessed that his Mom has agreed to share this responsibility with me so that I can continue to work a few days a week.

Washington does offer 90 days of paid family medical leave, but as a Server in a restaurant, tips are not included in determining what I am paid (which is a big part of my income). Dana will have to deplete all his sick leave, personal days and vacation to maintain his insurance to keep him covered.

Our daughter has agreed to stay at our home and take care of our pets. We can’t imagine having to give them up. It is already going to be so confusing just having us gone. Secondary housing, transportation and other miscellaneous expenses are going to be at least $5000 a month in addition to our regular expenses with decreased income. We had less than 5 weeks to prepare for this once the transplant team contacted us. It is overwhelming to say the least. Since Dana’s diagnosis, so many people have asked what they can do to help. This is it. Please help us keep our heads above water.

We have faith that this transplant will work! No amount is too small! Even $5.00 helps. If you can’t donate, please share. Anything that helps offset us means less stress, less struggle and more peace once Dana can come home. All funds will be used to offset our expenses.