
Help Nick Johnson Fight Stage 4 Cancer
Donation protected
Hi there, my name is Alysia Merriman and I started this fundraiser to help Nick and Kelsey Johnson during Nick’s fight with cancer. Kelsey works with me at Indie Salon and I consider her one of my best friends. They’re both great people who are always the first to help anyone who needs it. I’ve witnessed the giant pile of gifts they give each year to the less fortunate kids they adopt at Christmas.
Kelsey is self-employed and has already had to miss so much work to be with Nick during his hospital stays. How many of us are one accident or illness away from wondering how we will support our families? I’ve had so many people ask how they can help, so my goal with this fundraiser is to give them one less thing to worry about so they can focus on beating this cancer.
Nick’s Story
On April 30th Nick went to the ER because he was peeing blood. After a 12 hour wait, Nick was finally seen, and the doctors found a mass in his bladder.
On July 14th it was confirmed his cancer is stage 4 bladder cancer that metastasized to his lungs. This was devastating news because they were told it was stage 2 and treatable just 4 weeks prior. Due to complications with his bladder cancer, he’s already spent over 3 weeks in the hospital, and hasn’t been able to start any cancer treatments yet.
Since the cancer has spread and very aggressive, Nick won’t be a candidate for the neobladder surgery. Any treatment he receives will be to prolong his life. Dr. Parikh has given Nick a life expectancy of 2-3 years. With the right treatments at KU we feel optimistic it will be much longer.
Nick is able to see one of the best bladder cancer doctors in the country, but that will require travel (5 hours round trip) for chemo and other appointments that can’t be done via telehealth.
Our goal is to raise $30,000 which will go toward:
•Lost wages for Kelsey who is the bread-winner and a self employed hair stylist with no benefits (medical leave, PTO, etc)
•Insurance deductibles, co-pays, prescriptions, and medical bills not covered by insurance
•Gas and possible lodging for out of town chemo & oncology appointments
If you’d like to donate elsewhere:
Venmo:
@kelseylajohnson
CashApp:
$kelseylajohnson
Your donation will be appreciated more than you know!
-Alysia Merriman
Organizer and beneficiary
Alysia Merriman
Organizer
Joplin, MO
Kelsey Johnson
Beneficiary