Help Dave with his next treatments

As many of you know, my brother, Dave has been fighting cancer(s) for the last 4 ½ years. He was first diagnosed with IgA kappa Multiple Myeloma (a form of terminal bone marrow cancer), which required a Stem Cell Transplant. He was then diagnosed with head and neck cancer, which required 35 rounds of radiation on his neck and jaw area.

Unfortunately, Dave’s cancer journey continues…The radiation Dave received last year has done significant damage to his jaw bone and teeth. Beginning in mid-November, Dave will be undergoing a series of surgeries on his jaw to remove dead bone (osteonecrosis) followed by reconstructive dentistry to remove all of his teeth and figure out options for new teeth. Due to limited availability of specialists in this area, most of the work will be done outside of his insurance network creating a significant financial burden for Dave and Kathy.

Dave was also informed that his Multiple Myeloma has returned and he will likely require another Stem Cell Transplant following the extensive dental work. The Stem Cell Transplant is an extensive process that includes a two week hospital stay where Dave will be given a massive dose of the chemo therapy drug (Melphalan), which causes significant strain on the body. Dave and Kathy will required to stay close to Northwestern Hospital’s Lurie Cancer Center for another two weeks for daily observation. To this end, Kathy and Dave will require housing in Chicago for at least a month. These housing costs will be out of pocket.

These treatments have been costly and Dave is no longer able to work due to the many side effects from both the cancer and the cancer treatments, which include:

• Severe bone pain

• Significant fatigue

• Memory loss

• Reduced motor skills

• Neuropathy (nerve damage which causes pain to all extremities)

• Jaw and teeth pain

• Trouble eating

• Sleep interruption

Dave has been on Long Term Disability from his job at IBM, but those benefits will end soon at which point they will be reliant on Social Security and Medicare. Doctors recommended that Kathy also not work as of March 2020 because of Dave’s immunocompromised state and his need for care. They now find themselves having exhausted their savings and having incurred substantial debt with the anticipation of significant additional medical expenses.

Any assistance you can provide Dave and Kathy is greatly appreciated. Your contributions will help to relieve some financial stress while allowing Dave to focus on healing and treatment.