Greg's Leukemia Fund

As a close-knit family, the Johnston clan was excited to be celebrating Christmas all together for the first time in 13 years.  Three of us were flying in from California for 3 whirlwind days of Christmas jubilation.  On Thursday, December 18, as flights were arriving at Sea-Tac, my brother Gregory Johnston was taken to the ER for what we thought at the time was a blood clot in his leg.  Pending some test results, he would join us on Friday just in time to open presents with his 4 nieces and nephews. 

On Friday, as our family should have been celebrating a long-await gathering, we got the news that Greg has leukemia.  We took turns in the hospital as the blood clots, caused by the leukemia, got worse.  Sunday morning, as our siblings prepared to fly home, we got a phone call that devastated us: come say good-bye.  In a blind rush, we hurried to the hospital.  The clots were filling his lungs.  His vitals were not good.  The doctors decided to do a risky procedure.  They cut into his chest to place a filter in his artery to stop more clots from getting into his lungs;  they couldn't risk taking him off the blood thinners to do this, so they did the procedure at the risk that he could bleed out.  His nurse explained that Greg's situation was precarious.  While it was possible he may make it, no one had seen anyone recover from such a bad situation before.  We kept vigil all day, rotating to stay by his side in groups of 2 and 3, the rest of us taking up residence in the lobby. 

Sunday evening, as his beloved Seahawks played the Cardinals, the children came to see him one last time (he can't have visitors under 12), and the doctors started chemo. 

But Christmas miracles happen, and my brother is a fighter, and so, by the end of the day on Monday, he was finally breathing better as the blood thinners worked to disolve the clots.  They moved him to the Critical Care Unit, and slowly, slowly, he improved. 

Today Greg is in the oncology unit.  He is still on blood thinners, but otherwise, he is now focused on battling the leukemia.  The type he has is known to be aggressive and fast, so the doctors are being aggressive as well. 

The doctors anticipate Greg will be in the hospital at least 6 weeks.  He will be out of work for much, much longer than that.  Of course, it's the end of the year, so we are just days away from a new year's worth of deductibles, copays, and coinsurance.  At home, his bills continue to stack up.  As a family, we are doing everything we can, but we are richer in love than money. 

I am asking for your donations to help Greg with his expenses during this crisis.  Many have asked what they can do to help, and this is it, friends.  Please donate now so that Gregory can continue to have the treatment he needs, because we still need him.