As many of you know, my dad was diagnosed with stage 4 non-Hodgkins lymphoma (diffuse large B-cell) last November. Unfortunately, this is one of the most aggressive forms. For the past year, he has endured countless doctor’s appointments, weekly chemotherapy, and immunotherapy treatments and hospital stays. We had some hope in the beginning when he showed some improvement, but unfortunately his latest PET scan showed that the cancer has continued to spread significantly despite the chemo and immunotherapy treatments.

This past week, he was admitted and transferred to KU Med, where a specialized medical team has taken over his care. Right now, they are trying a different type of chemotherapy to slow the cancer, and soon he will begin an advanced T-cell immunotherapy treatment that has shown promising results.

He had to make the decision to go forward with this treatment or not as it has severe side effects, can be life threatening in itself and will be extremely hard on him. This will be one of his last resorts and he decided he’s not giving up - he is determined to keep fighting.

Because my parents live almost two hours from Kansas City, there has already been nonstop weekly traveling back and forth for doctor’s appointments, hospital stays, biopsies, bloodwork and all of his chemo and immunotherapy treatments. There will be a lot more to come in the next several months.

Soon, my dad will be going in for daily treatments at KU. During this time, my mom will stay with him in a nearby hotel for over a month, as he cannot be left alone and will need to be near the hospital due to the risk of complications and severe side effects. He also won’t have the immune system strength to fight off even minor illnesses, so they will both need to be very careful.

The biggest help for them right now would be financial support toward the many expenses:

- Travel back and forth to KU

- Hotel stays during his daily treatments and bloodwork

- Medication costs

- Everyday bills (as neither of my parents are able to work right now)

- Meals while staying near the KU Cancer Center

Normally, people might set up a meal train in situations like this, but since my parents will be away from home, meals will need to be ordered or picked up nearby. Any contribution to help ease these burdens would be the most helpful to them.

Please continue to keep my Dad in your prayers, he needs them now more than ever. This has all been so extremely hard on him and my Mom both. We are beyond thankful for our family, friends, neighbors, and our wonderful community who always comes together for each other. Your love, prayers, and support mean more than words can express. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you ❤️