Help DJ Battle CANCER!

It’s with a heavy heart that I have to inform all of you that my husband, Daniel “DJ” Hastings, is battling cancer. DJ is one of the most caring individuals I’ve ever known. He would do anything for anyone and I am deeply saddened about the current struggle our family is facing.

For those of you who may not know DJ personally, he is a wonderful husband and father. We have been married for almost 19 years and have two children together. Our daughter, Kayleigh, is 14 and our son, Jacob, is 12. We are also a pet loving household with two dogs and two cats.

When DJ was just 18 years old, he joined the United States Army and served three tours overseas. As anyone knows, being in a war at such a young age can make you grow up faster than you could ever imagine. After 8 years he decided to part ways with the military to spend more time home with his family. As a veteran of war, he spent plenty of time risking his life for others, only to come home and have to fight for his life again after being diagnosed with cancer. Our family needs your help to get him through yet another war, of a different kind.

In 2017, DJ had chronic groin pain causing the doctor to send him for an ultrasound. The ultrasound showed an enlarged lymph node and ultimately a biopsy showed abnormal cells, but no definitive diagnosis. It was recommended by pathology to remove the lymph node and complete a full biopsy. Instead, the doctor sent him to pain management.

Fast forward to the beginning of this year, after recurring episodes of pain, DJ noticed that the same area was extremely swollen and saw his regular doctor. He was sent for another ultrasound and biopsy. Again, the results were inconclusive but still showed some abnormal cells. He was referred to Oncology for further diagnostic testing.

On October 11th, a lymph node was removed for biopsy. After six years, he finally had a diagnosis: Nodular Sclerosis Classic Hodgkin’s Lymphoma.

In 2017, there was only one lymph node affected and most current tests show that there are now at least 4 that can be seen that are affected with the cancer.

The doctors plan to begin with two months of chemotherapy. At the conclusion of the first round of chemo, a PET scan will be performed to assess how the treatment worked. If necessary, another round of chemo will be performed and the possibility of radiation exists.

DJ will have to be off work during treatments because his job can cause too many complications. He works in maintenance on heavy machinery and is outdoors most times, even in winter. With an already compromised immune system from the treatments, it is not advised that he expose himself to any further risks.

DJ has already used all of his PTO at work to have surgery. We initially expected a few days off work, but with complications from the surgery, it’s turned into almost three full weeks due to post surgical complications.

In addition to the costs of the testing, a $25,000+ surgery for diagnosis, and the chemotherapy treatments to come, he will be losing most of his income for those few months that he’s off work. Losing the main source of income and the huge amount of medical bills that will be coming shortly is an overwhelming stress on the family. DJ needs to focus on recovering and beating this cancer rather be burdened by finances.

No donation is too small and would be greatly appreciated by our family during this extremely difficult time. Thank you for taking the time to listen to DJ’s story!