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Denise's Stem Cell Transplant

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Denise Arnold Thom is in dire need of a stem cell transplant.  She has been on constant chemotherapy for Multiple Myeloma and has finally been approved for this lifesaving treatment.  Her co-payments for chemo have been more than her monthly income, so she needs our help to manage the costs of the upcoming transplant.  As someone who has also fought cancer, I can attest to the high out-of-pocket cost of cancer treatment.  Let's rally together to show our compassion for Denise during this difficult time!  

Although Denise worked for over 35 years as a classroom teacher, math coach, reading intervention specialist, and sales manager for a publishing company that sold educational materials to school systems, she is no longer able to work due to her illness.  Her recovery is expected to take up to one year.

Denise will be hospitalized between 2-3 weeks.  After her release from the hospital, she is required to stay in close proximity to Moffitt Cancer Center so that her health can be monitored via daily doctor's appointments.  Because Hope Lodge is currently undergoing renovations, she and her caregiver will be staying at a hotel with a medical rate of $130 per night plus tax for 21 days.  I will be flying down to serve as her caregiver for the first two weeks and have been approved for a Mercy Flight there and back.  Airfare for her second caregiver will run around $400.  In order for Denise to return to her home afterward, a cleaning company must conduct a "hospital grade" cleaning at the initial cost of $500.  The risk of infection after transplant is high, so periodic cleanings will also be required during the first year of her recovery.  Once her caregivers return home, she will have to hire an aide at the cost of $15 per hour to prepare meals and transport her to and from the hospital, which is 50 miles from her home.  She has high medical deductibles that must be met before her insurance provides coverage for the transplant.

Denise has begun her injections to stimulate her body to begin producing baby stem cells.  Once the mature stem cells are harvested, she will undergo major chemotherapy to destroy her entire immune system.  The harvested stem cells will then be transfused back into her bloodstream to resume normal blood cell production.  She will enter the hospital on December 28 and receive her stem cell transplant on December 30, so time is of the essence.  Donations can be declared or made anonymously.  NO DONATION IS TOO SMALL!

Hotel total for 21 days -                                                $3,003
Round trip transportation for 1 caregiver -            $400
Initial hospital grade home cleaning -                         $500
Out of pocket Humana Medicare Advantage -  $7,200
Estimated cost of pre-transplant chemo -         $12,000
In-home nursing assistance -                                       $2,700
  ($15 per hr x 15 hrs per wk x 3 mnths)       ____________
                                                                                                  $25,803

Let's all do our part to help Denise with these staggering costs so that she can concentrate on healing and being able to enjoy life again.  This site will be updated regularly to keep everyone abreast of her recovery.  Please share this GoFundMe page on your personal Facebook page so we can reach as many potential donors as possible.   Can we count on your prayers and financial assistance?  Let's give Denise the Christmas miracle she is so deserving of.

Terri Nickens Colclough
Ovarian Cancer Survivor
Friend and Classmate
Tara High Class of '73
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Donations 

  • Joy Draughn
    • $50 
    • 8 yrs
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Organiser

Denise Thom
Organiser
Tampa, FL

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