Jared McCanless Healthcare

Where to begin. Jared is a hardworking, happy, and dedicated man. He loves his job working on cell phone towers almost as much as he loves his family and friends. If you have ever had the privilege of meeting or being in the same room as him you know just how infectious his smile and laugh can be. Making friends and being the life of the party is just Jared being Jared. However recently Jared has been in an incredible amount of pain after a femur fracture and emergent surgery to fix this fracture.  He went from climbing towers to relearning how to walk, with pins and a rod in his leg.  During the course of recovery from this injury, Jared was feeling extra fatigued and weak. On a visit to the ER due to pain, the physician looked and noticed that his White Blood Cell Count has been high not a couple of times but every time he has had blood work done for the past 3 years.  During this visit some more blood tests were done and led to the referral to Mission Cancer Center.  After more blood work, molecular testing, a painful bone marrow biopsy, and another week and half of waiting, He received the diagnosis CML. We were told at the time of diagnosis that based on the previous lab work, that he has more than likely had this cancer wreaking havoc in his body for more than 3 years.  Chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) is an uncommon type of cancer of the bone marrow — the spongy tissue inside bones where blood cells are made. CML causes an increased number of white blood cells in the blood.  Many of the symptoms are so vague, from pain, fatigue, poor appetite, weight loss, and night sweats. Most people are only diagnosed after abnormal blood work and the same extensive testing Jared went through at the beginning of March.  Jared's options are limited solely based on the phase he is in (this cancer is phased not staged) and they are very expensive. His diagnosis of Advanced CML means the medications to help him achieve remission are Generation 2 and even more expensive than we originally thought, upwards of $11,000-$15,000  a month. While we have applied for assistance with the medication companies, they are still limited resources and funds.  Once he is able to start the medication he will completely destroy his already weak immune system. He will also have to go in for bi-weekly appointments and blood work to determine if this medication is working and to determine if his body is adjusting to making normal blood cells again.  During all of this Jared has been unable to work, see his kids, and has been to doctors and to the ER multiple times for unimaginable pain, at times so bad he cant move.  The expense of medications, testing, lab work, appointments and other medical bills is astronomical and become a true burden on Jared and his family.  While Jared will be able to live, work, and enjoy an almost normal life, he has a ways to go to be able to do that.  Please share, donate, send well wishes. Anything is greatly appreciated by Jared, his family, and those that love him. Thank you!