Help Mike and Ellen Minotty!

On January 30th, at 9:15 PM, Mike Minotty, and his wife Ellen, got a phone call that would change their lives.  Mike, who has had a Hepatitis C diagnosis since the late '90s, also had a mass on his pancreas.  On March 16th, after many tests, many miles traveled from their home in Sebastian, FL to Shands UF Teaching Hospital in Gainesville, FL, and many sleepless nights, Mike had a diagnoses of Pancreatic Cancer with Liver Disease & Hepatitis C geno type 1A.

In December of 1971, during his senior year in high school, David 'Michael' Minotty  willingly, with honor, joined the Marine Corps of the United States of America with a war going on in Vietnam, at the age of 18. Two weeks after graduation from Delsey Regional High School in Franklinville,NJ, Mike was at Parris Island, SC for 13 weeks of boot camp, where he almost broke the rifle range high score record. During the winter and spring of '73, he did his first trip to Okinawa as a NonMorse Code Radio Intercept Operator, followed by time in  Vietnam, and then back to Okinawa. Finally, Mike finished his Marine Corps duties at Camp Lejeune, NC, from December '74 to June '75.

During his time serving his country, Mike contracted Hepatitis C.  In 1972, we didn't know about Hepatitis C, and the military used one "gun" to vaccinate all the men, going from arm to arm, with no sterilization in between. Many years later, millions of Vietnam-era veterans have been diagnosed with HepatitisC, but the government will take no responsibility for it, blaming it on drug use among service men during that time.  Mike received his official Hepatitis C diagnosis in the late '90s, and has since undergone two unsuccessful, painful treatments, one in 2000, and one in 2010, with the last leaving him with 40-50 open sores on his body.  

Additionally, while Mike was serving at Camp Lejeune, the water was contaminated, and on the list of illnesses that they will treat because of this, is pancreatitus.  Because of his, and many other Vietnam vets, history with alcohol, Mike always assumed that his three attacks of pancratitus in a single year had to do with drinking, rather then anything that may have happened to him during his service.

However, Mike quit drinking on a regular basis for over 25 years, and still had an attack of pancreatitus after his second unsuccessful treatment for Hepatitus C.  

In 2007, Mike and Ellen bought their dream retirement home in Kentucky, although home may be too grand of a description!  They bought property in Kentucky, with a small camp and outhouse, which were built in the 1920's.  Since then, Mike and Ellen have worked diligently to turn the property into their future home.

Their goal is to live off the grid as much as humanly possible.  They have already set their small home there up with solar power, and they collect rainwater to use in the home. They have cultivated gardens, great hunting grounds, and hope to have a pond with fish. They want tree houses for their three beautiful grandkids, a safe place to go for family and friends to visit.  While Mike is still relatively healthy, he has been taking time off to finish their house for year-round living, thanks to generous support from his boss.


Within six months of Mike and Ellen buying their cabin in Kentucky, they took a 52% paycut at their jobs, making it so that they live completely paycheck to paycheck.  They have been able to keep their cabin only through a complete change of lifestyle, cutting out every additional expense, and giving up one of their other loves - motorcycle riding - to make sure their dream is possible.

With that situation in mind, they need financial help.  Their insurance company is refusing medications.  The Shands UF Teaching Hospital is 210 miles, one way, and they are currently traveling there once a week for chemotherapy.  Soon, Mike will need to be in Gainesville 5 days a week for radiation, where he and Ellen will live at Hope House.  For each trip they take, they pack a cooler, and try not to eat out.  

Both Mike and Ellen are currently still working, but with the aggressive treatment required for pancreatic cancer, Mike will likely be too sick to work for much longer.  Ellen will be his full-time caregiver, and may be down to part-time soon.  Meanwhile, the bills are piling up, and treating the pancreatic cancer is not the end. In the future, Mike will likely need a liver transplant on top of everything, due to the hepatitus C.

Mike and Ellen appreciate anything that you can do to help.   They know that they are blessed with an amazing group of friends and family who will help them get through this.