Help Michael Beat Cancer
Donation protected
12/27/2019
It looks like Michael will be in the hospital through New Years at least. He's hit a bit of a plateau with his breathing. Tonight the lung doctor could not tell him how long it will take or if his lungs will even fully heal. There is a possibility he may need oxygen the rest of his life. If you know Michael, you'll know that is hard for him to hear. If he can get a bit better, he can start fighting the cancer again. Michael is still optimistic of course and appreciates the support he continues to receive. We are starting to get an idea of how much this is all going to cost and the donations are really going to help. Thank you so much!
12/23/2019
Four days has made a big difference in Michael's recovery. His lungs continue to improve. If all goes well he could be out of the hospital as early as Thursday! He still has a long battle ahead of him. The gofundme campaign has exceeded all expectations. We had hoped to get the very minimum Michael would need to be okay for the next five months. Well, we are well past that now. The majority of any additional funds will go toward his costs for cancer treatment. Thank you so much for those who have supported Michael in any of the many ways support can be given. He's going to beat this! And you all are helping him.
I've a video of Mike and me growing up. Enjoy. :)
12/19/2019
As many of you know, on October 15th, my brother Michael was diagnosed with Stage 4 Melanoma. Since then he's been in a battle for his life. He started on Opdivo and Yervoy about three weeks ago. It's an Immunotherapy used to treat metastatic melanoma. For a small percentage of people, just one treatment is too much for the body to deal with. In Michael's case it caused havoc with his lungs. For the first week or so, he felt great, but soon after started having breathing problems. Last week he ended up in the emergency and was admitted. His lungs continued to deteriorate and after a couple of day's he was admitted to the ICU. The next day Michael's daughter, Jordan, and I flew out He was put on a high dose of steroids and some medication meant to knock down the immune system a few notches. His breathing continued to worsen. This is when his other two daughters, Kyrstin and Taylor, flew out The doctors started talking about the possibility of intubating him. It was still an option that seemed a few days a way, when the doctors walked in and said they were going forward with the intubation. Michael was unprepared. The doctors, I suppose out of necessity, told him there was a possibility he might not come out of it. Many of you have seen the video he posted before going under and I think the seriousness of the situation came through well. He was under for two terrible days. Mike's a big guy and it took six of the staff to hold him down when they inadvertently brought him to semi-consciousness. It wasn't pretty. The first day off the intubator was good. He was so relieved when he woke to see his three daughters there waiting for him. The second day off wasn't so good and the Doctor's starting talking about possibly intubating him again. I think that motivated Michael to get better quickly. With the help of more steroids and another medication I can't spell he has rebounded. He is doing great today. Hopefully he'll be out of the ICU in the next day or two and out of the hospital in three or four days, at which point he will need to refocus on battling his cancer.
The costs of having cancer are high. Michael is unable to work. Based on his cancer diagnoses he has qualified for expedited disability benefits. Which mean he might start seeing some money in May. In the meantime he has no income. His family is helping him but it won't be enough. His medical expenses will be astronomical, but he can deal with that when he heals. But he still needs money to meet his monthly costs. He has rent, transportation to and from the hospital, meals, etc. We're looking enough to get him through the next few months so he can concentrate on his battle with cancer. I think Michael has enough friends where many small donations would do the trick, as opposed to a few big ones. Please do not feel any pressure to donate. You well wishes and prayers are enough and Michael is so appreciative. I honestly believe all the support he's had has helped him through this last crisis.
I believe he can get by with about $1,500 a month if he's careful. For five months that is $7.500 and the amount I am trying to raise for him. Any donation, no matter how small will be appreciated.
Thank you so much!
Michael's brother, David.
It looks like Michael will be in the hospital through New Years at least. He's hit a bit of a plateau with his breathing. Tonight the lung doctor could not tell him how long it will take or if his lungs will even fully heal. There is a possibility he may need oxygen the rest of his life. If you know Michael, you'll know that is hard for him to hear. If he can get a bit better, he can start fighting the cancer again. Michael is still optimistic of course and appreciates the support he continues to receive. We are starting to get an idea of how much this is all going to cost and the donations are really going to help. Thank you so much!
12/23/2019
Four days has made a big difference in Michael's recovery. His lungs continue to improve. If all goes well he could be out of the hospital as early as Thursday! He still has a long battle ahead of him. The gofundme campaign has exceeded all expectations. We had hoped to get the very minimum Michael would need to be okay for the next five months. Well, we are well past that now. The majority of any additional funds will go toward his costs for cancer treatment. Thank you so much for those who have supported Michael in any of the many ways support can be given. He's going to beat this! And you all are helping him.
I've a video of Mike and me growing up. Enjoy. :)
12/19/2019
As many of you know, on October 15th, my brother Michael was diagnosed with Stage 4 Melanoma. Since then he's been in a battle for his life. He started on Opdivo and Yervoy about three weeks ago. It's an Immunotherapy used to treat metastatic melanoma. For a small percentage of people, just one treatment is too much for the body to deal with. In Michael's case it caused havoc with his lungs. For the first week or so, he felt great, but soon after started having breathing problems. Last week he ended up in the emergency and was admitted. His lungs continued to deteriorate and after a couple of day's he was admitted to the ICU. The next day Michael's daughter, Jordan, and I flew out He was put on a high dose of steroids and some medication meant to knock down the immune system a few notches. His breathing continued to worsen. This is when his other two daughters, Kyrstin and Taylor, flew out The doctors started talking about the possibility of intubating him. It was still an option that seemed a few days a way, when the doctors walked in and said they were going forward with the intubation. Michael was unprepared. The doctors, I suppose out of necessity, told him there was a possibility he might not come out of it. Many of you have seen the video he posted before going under and I think the seriousness of the situation came through well. He was under for two terrible days. Mike's a big guy and it took six of the staff to hold him down when they inadvertently brought him to semi-consciousness. It wasn't pretty. The first day off the intubator was good. He was so relieved when he woke to see his three daughters there waiting for him. The second day off wasn't so good and the Doctor's starting talking about possibly intubating him again. I think that motivated Michael to get better quickly. With the help of more steroids and another medication I can't spell he has rebounded. He is doing great today. Hopefully he'll be out of the ICU in the next day or two and out of the hospital in three or four days, at which point he will need to refocus on battling his cancer.
The costs of having cancer are high. Michael is unable to work. Based on his cancer diagnoses he has qualified for expedited disability benefits. Which mean he might start seeing some money in May. In the meantime he has no income. His family is helping him but it won't be enough. His medical expenses will be astronomical, but he can deal with that when he heals. But he still needs money to meet his monthly costs. He has rent, transportation to and from the hospital, meals, etc. We're looking enough to get him through the next few months so he can concentrate on his battle with cancer. I think Michael has enough friends where many small donations would do the trick, as opposed to a few big ones. Please do not feel any pressure to donate. You well wishes and prayers are enough and Michael is so appreciative. I honestly believe all the support he's had has helped him through this last crisis.
I believe he can get by with about $1,500 a month if he's careful. For five months that is $7.500 and the amount I am trying to raise for him. Any donation, no matter how small will be appreciated.
Thank you so much!
Michael's brother, David.
Organizer
David Eck
Organizer
San Diego, CA