Help Father of Four Fight Leukemia
This fundraiser is for my brother in law Michael Dee who was just diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia at 42 years old.
He is currently in the hospital fighting for his life to come home to his beautiful wife and 4 children ages 9 years old down to 9 months old.
Now let me tell you a little about my brother in law:
Everyone who knows Mike knows he is one of the kindest souls to walk this earth. A master plumber who has always helped anyone in need. A devoted husband and hands-on father who his kids are desperately missing right now.
To know Mike is to love him.
Backstory:
Mike came into my sister's life almost 18 years ago, and we all fell madly in love with him. His kindness and generosity are undeniable, and his animated and goofy personality lights up every room he walks into.
He is a social butterfly who always takes the time to talk to everyone in the room and even while sitting in his hospital bed, he is encouraging others to be positive and trust God.
He made my sister the happiest woman alive when he popped the question, and they tied the knot in October of 2008.
Neither of them could wait to have children, so they started working on their family right away. Unfortunately, this did not come easy for them.
They worked on becoming parents for 5 years and suffered countless heartbreaks, but they never gave up on their family.
In 2014, they finally became parents to their firstborn, Addison Rose. They were elated and fell into the roles of parents with ease.
But the blessings didn't stop there!
They went on to have 3 more amazing children. Connor in 2015, Dorothy in 2020, and their 4th child Benjamin just last year in August of 2022.
When I say Mike is a hands on dad I am not exaggerating in the least. These children are so lucky to have him as a father and he has way too many soccer games, daddy daughter dances, graduations and more that he needs to stick around for.
The Diagnosis:
Mike has been struggling with some on and off sicknesses this year and had come down with pneumonia right after Mother's Day.
When his symptoms continued to get worse and worse, he went to the hospital. No one could have guessed he wouldn't be coming home.
Once the doctors started running tests in the ER, they knew this was more than a case of pneumonia. Mike, being the great guy he is, thanked the doctor profusely for discovering the cancer.
My sister got the call of her nightmares while she listened to the love of her life and father to her 4 children tell her that he had leukemia and wasn't coming home.
He was immediately transferred to another hospital and met with an amazing cancer team, which we are all so grateful for.
They did a blood transfusion immediately and bone marrow testing right away. The results that came in were another blow we weren't prepared for.
On May 26th Mike was officially diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia which is a rare and fatal type of leukemia.
We also learned that 90% of the bone marrow they tested was bad and upon further testing they found he has a mutated form of the disease meaning he will need extra medications on top of chemo and will be participating in clinical trials.
Because his cancer is so aggressive, his team is acting quick and aggressively as well.
He has already started an intense round of chemotherapy 24/7 and will more than likely be looking at bone marrow transplants along with other treatments in the future.
Although this is absolutely devastating news, we are a family that believes in miracles, and Mike is our miracle.
As far as we are concerned, Mike has 4 children that need him, so getting better and coming home is his only option.
Luckily, Mike has always been a pillar of strength and positivity. His happy go lucky positive attitude has not changed one bit with this diagnosis and he is ready to kick cancer's @$$!
Here's how you can help:
His fight has only just begun but we are in it for the long haul.
Mike has already started his chemo and will more than likely need a bone marrow transplant.
You can sign up for "Be the Match" to find his match for the bone marrow donation. You can sign up for your kit through the link below.
Mike is the sole provider for his family while my sister is a stay at home mom for her babies.
Unfortunately, fighting cancer is not cheap and we will need all the donations we can get. You can help by donating and sharing in hopes that others will want to donate as well.
You can also reach out about other fundraisers and other ways to donate.
Any and all donations will go straight to Mike's cancer fight fund and keeping bills paid while he is out of work. If anything is left over, it will immediately be donated to others fighting cancer.
If you can not donate, we ask that you share his fundraisers and please pray. We believe in prayer and he needs all the prayers he can get right now.
Mike is the type of man who has always put his families needs before his own. He is loved beyond measure and has no doubt made this world a better place with his existence.
His children need him. His wife needs him. We need him. This world needs him to stay and continue to make a difference.
He is even helping others fight this specific mutation by being involved in clinical trials and cancer research.
And that's just like Mike to be helping others whenever he can. It's our turn to help him.
We will not give up until Mike is home. But we need your support. Please consider donating.