Help Scott Mann Battle Acute Leukemia

HELP SCOTT BEAT ACUTE LEUKEMIA!!!

Hi everyone,

Thank you for finding our page. We are trying to raise funds to help Scott Mann in his battle against Acute Myeloid Leukemia. AML is a devastating blood cancer diagnosis that is very aggressive with less than ideal survival rates. Thank goodness his tablet cracked and he isn’t very motivated to go online at the moment!

He was admitted to a local hospital on 9/16 with what we thought was an infection in his amputated leg like so many times before. He was started on antibiotics after a culture came back positive for MRSA and he was discharged 10 days later with a PICC line and instructions to remain on antibiotics until 11/2. He was home for a week when the visiting nurse came to the house for what was supposed to be a routine blood draw. Later that evening, 3 Riverview police officers were knocking at our door telling us Scott’s Dr. called and asked for a welfare check on Scott. The police told us the Dr. said he was very sick and needed to immediately go back to the hospital. When we got to the hospital it was obvious this was no longer only an infection issue when we were consulted in the ER by hematology. On 10/4, I pulled him out of the local hospital and drove him straight to University Hospital ER at UofM in Ann Arbor. 2 days later the AML diagnosis was given.

AML can move so fast that often patients are put into treatment protocol immediately. For Scott though, having a current infection meant delaying treatment until it could clear. Starting chemo with any possibility of infection could be deadly. On two separate nights, trauma surgeons came into his room literally in the middle of the night because imaging suggested possible necrotic fasciitis and gas present in his leg. Life as a BTK amputee has its challenges. Life as an AKA is another level of challenges in and of itself. Not all AKA amputees are able to effectively ambulate on a prosthetic. Those of you who have seen Scott since his amputation know he gets around fairly well with just the prosthetic he wears. We were terrified that they were going to take the leg to remove the possibility of infection. Not comfortable in the moment we held our ground and refused any emergency surgery on his leg. Every surgeon can perform an amputation. Not all can do one that results in a prosthetic favorable residual limb.

Eventually a vascular surgical team came up to consult us on the situation. They were very concerned the significant swelling in his knee was due to an infection and the imaging they thought demonstrated gas gangrene. They heard our concerns though regarding losing the leg without definitive proof of infection. Together we agreed that the infection had to be dealt with first before the cancer could be addressed. We knew we didn’t want to be foolish about attempting to salvage the leg at the cost of his life if we were wrong. We agreed to let the team take Scott to surgery as they were able to precisely articulate our concerns and understanding of our desire for a conservative approach. He went into that surgery having signed the consent to perform an AKA if it was deemed necessary while in the OR. We were overjoyed that the result was no sign of infection present-leg still intact!

We could now turn our focus to healing the new surgical incisions enough before starting chemo. They were thinking it would be several weeks before the new wounds healed enough to begin treatment but Scott got the all clear a week ahead schedule. He started treatment on 10/21 and is now 3 days into the battle of his life against AML.

Scott will be impatient at UofM for at least another month if all goes very well. While we have all the confidence he is at the best place to wage this war it is far away from home. The month long fight to even get to this point has been exhausting. We are just regular people fighting against a relentless disease and it is putting a heavy financial burden on the family. Once released from this hospital stay, Scott will have to travel back to UofM for a week at a time while he undergoes continued treatment. We are most likely looking at this being our new normal for the next year. We hope at some point he becomes healthy enough and eligible for a transplant. We are fighting this fight to give Scott the chance to count his life in more than just months. We are hoping to extend it years. Our small family is so desperate to help him in this fight.

Any funds raised will be used to secure safe and reliable transportation to the hospital for Scott’s treatment, improve the air quality and ventilation in our home to give him a medically safe environment to heal, and to secure our home long term so that he knows he will always have a roof over his head during all of this. We are in the process of “buying” our first home together through a rent to own in our nearly 25 year marriage.

Scott, 61, is from Riverview, MI but grew up and lived almost the entirety of his life in Wyandotte, MI. He is a loving husband and father to 3 boys; Ken, Turner, and John Mann. Scott and I have been married 24 years and are hoping to get the opportunity to celebrate our 25th anniversary this coming January.

We are humbled and grateful to any help offered in pursuit of our goal to provide Scott with what he’ll need to stay in this fight as long as possible. Thank you.

Jennifer