Jim Beatty – father, grandfather, brother, dear friend, teacher, clown, dancer, performer, lover and protector of the land, radio host, children’s champion – is facing the challenge of his life. In early August,, after a routine blood panel, Jim was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia, an aggressive, life-threatening blood cancer. A bone marrow/stem cell transplant is the gold standard treatment for this condition and offers the best, perhaps only, option to achieve long-term remission and, if the stars are aligned, hopefully a cure.

Fortunately, Jim has been accepted as a transplant recipient at the UC Davis Medical Center in Sacramento. The arduous process requires a hospital stay of at least a month followed by a one to three-month stay in a home no farther than 30 minutes from the medical center, with loving and attentive 24/7 care. Thankfully, Jim has a dedicated cadre of family and friends who are honored to share the time caring for him during the months he needs to be close to the hospital and his transplant team.

Jim's team of caregivers (son Jamie, sister Joan, sister-in-law Ellen, and dear friends Paulette and Rick) has created this GoFundMe appeal. We hope to raise funds to help offset the cost of housing, travel, and other related living expenses during the time Jim needs to be in Sacramento (2.5 - 3 hours from his home in Ukiah) for monitoring and ongoing treatment. Since no one on the Care Team lives in or near Sacramento, we will incur significant fuel costs for travel back and forth as well as trips to the hospital four times a week for follow-up care. In addition, it will be a significant amount of time before Jim is able to bring in any income to supplement his basic Social Security. Your contributions will make it possible for him to continue to meet his expenses when he is back home in Ukiah during his recuperation which his medical team has advised will be "at least a year." This journey is a marathon, not a sprint.

Although we expect/hope insurance will cover the actual medical procedure and hospitalization, Jim and his caregiving team must pay out of pocket for all expenses while in Sacramento and when Jim gets to go home.

We would be most grateful if you could contribute to making it possible for us to rent a safe, comfortable, and convenient-to-the-hospital home for Jim to relax and recuperate after this lifesaving procedure and support him as he continues his subsequent long recovery in Ukiah.