If you've ever had the pleasure to met Joel Wigstadt, you probably know that he's one of the kindest, most genuine human beings on the planet. What you might not know about this lovable goofball -- because he refuses to be defined by something so negative -- is that he's been in a longtime, off-and-on battle for his health. After a long reprieve, the fight is on again. Now, he needs our help.
January 2019: Work takes Alli to Northern Thailand, and Joel is able to join her for a weeklong vacation complete with splashing elephants, chaotic tuk-tuk rides, and the best food they've ever had. But Joel has other things on his mind. Excited and nervous, he bumbles out a sentence that Alli eventually realizes is a proposal. She says "yes," and the couple rides off into the sunset -- well, the airport.
March 2019: Joel notices some weight loss and consistent sharp abdominal pain. His kidney doctor orders the first scan, which reveals a rather large set of tumors presenting throughout his abdomen, torso, neck and slightly in his liver, qualifying it as stage 4. On March 26, 2019 -- the same day Joel became an uncle, since his horrifying diagnoses tend to correlate to something joyous -- he receives official confirmation of Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma (DLBCL).
April 2019: Joel ceases work and begins chemotherapy on April 3, two days after his 40th birthday. These are not the cocktails he hoped to celebrate with.
June 2019: Joel spends most of spring and summer 2019 undergoing four cycles of chemotherapy, taking up residency at the hospital for 7 days at a time. (Alli, ever the trooper, becomes an expert at sponge baths, one of the many silver linings Joel sees in the process.) After beginning chemo, scans indicate everything the doctors wanted to see: a fast, positive reaction and a reduction in tumors. On June 27 Joel and Alli get the call they hoped for: “all clear, no active sign of disease.” Joel rings a gong signifying the end of treatment and the resumption of greatness.
July 2019: Joel and Alli resume life: enjoying overdue R&R, doing some traveling, visiting friends. Pretty much *Tuesday Livin’™. However, in mid-July Joel notices a sensitive node in his neck. The evidence of a recurrence of the disease is confirmed, and new treatment plans begin.
[*note, Tuesday Livin’ is practiced and defined as “aggressive relaxation.” It’s a state of mind and approach to life. Original credit: Paul Ward of Eau Claire, WI]
Present Day: Joel’s life is a whirlwind of doctor’s visits, chemo acronyms, prescription meds, calendar dates written only in pencil, feeling fine/feeling low, growing relationships with the great nurses on GWUH 5 South, and as many Revel rides as he’s felt up to, which has been a lot. (Revel is a super fun rentable-by-app fully-electric moped that tops out at 30mph. An exceptional way to buzz back and forth between appointments in DC.)
After the failing of the first chemo, Joel’s doctors shifted focus to an approach that would allow for a bone-marrow transplant (BMT), as they saw it as the best shot for Joel’s full, long-term recovery given his exceedingly complicated case. However, the doctors' inability to get Joel's cancer under control with chemotherapy makes him ineligible for a BMT, so after a few months of hoping and waiting, it came time to explore new options.
Alli and Joel have met with a lymphoma expert and his team at the National Cancer Institute (NCI). They recommended that Joel pursue with haste setting up appointments with institutions that deliver a cutting-edge new science-fiction immunotherapy called CAR-T cell therapy ....
If you get a chance, ask Joel about this crazy new therapy. His description of this tech is great, and contains tons of Jason Bourne and ninja references. There are guaranteed to be sound effects. His excitement to be part of this radical new treatment brings him the energy of a kid at Christmas. That's our Joel in a nutshell. Throughout this journey, there has been only constant: Joel is Joel. Our favorite human-puppy hybrid will always find the best in any situation, because he is the best of any situation. He's in the fight of his life, again. Here's our chance to show him that we've all got his back.
(Pictured: Joel, training to karate kick cancer since 1984)
Joel vs. cancer
So yeah... the short of the long is that Joel has cancer. Shortly after goading his lovely partner Alli into an engagement last year, Joel was diagnosed with triple hit diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). Since diagnosis in early spring, Joel has been through 5 different chemo regimens to varying degrees of success, but nothing has worked very well for very long. He and his doctors are currently working to find a viable long-term solution to karate kicking the cancer for good.
The thing is, cancer is capital "E" EXPENSIVE. Enormous. Elephantine. This fight is a full-time gig. Joel and Alli have been traversing back and forth to treatments, sometimes crossing state lines. As treatments and approaches evolve, bills are mounting atop medical debt from past hospitalizations. And as doctors pivot to new and experimental treatments for Joel after exhausting more conventional courses of action, the bills continue to keep creep higher. Funds from this campaign will go towards all of that, and hopefully help offset some wages lost and other expenses incurred while fighting this battle.
How you can help Joel in his fight
Joel and Alli thrive on good vibes, so definitely send those. But the goal of this campaign is to help alleviate bills so that Joel and Alli can concentrate on Joel's health. Anything and everything will help.
What else can you do?
Navigate over to www.JoelKarateKicksCancer.com for an overview and landing page of all things Joel; the "whole of Joel," if you will. There you’ll find a bit more info, a few more photos and a couple of links steering visitors to other ways to stay involved.
Joel and his front office/top brass/chargé d’affaires will be posting real-time updates on the next steps in his treatment, including an upcoming relocation to Houston, the next procedure, recovery, and a smattering of thoughts and reflections along the way.
Please bookmark and become a Member of Joel’s Karate Kicking Community at https://my.lotsahelpinghands.com/community/joel-karate-kicks-cancer to hear the latest.
Ultimately, we’d like to spread the word. Please share these links via social media, email or messenger pigeon with all you know who might be willing to help. And thank you, on behalf of Joel, Alli, their families, and everybody else who loves them, for taking the time.
A little (ok, a lot) of background on Joel, Alli, and this tremendous fight
If you want to know more about Joel, his wild relationship with his health, and what he’s up to now, read on! But if you're just here for the TL;DR version, here it is: This isn't Joel's first illness rodeo, but fingers crossed it's his last. It's going to be a journey across multiple cities, limited opportunities to work, and many, many procedures. Which is to say, in the grand rodeo of Joel's treatment, we need as many cow pokes and rodeo clowns as possible to make sure he's taken care of and so he and Alli can stop hanging out in hospitals all the time.
So yeah... the short of the long is that Joel has cancer. Shortly after goading his lovely partner Alli into an engagement last year, Joel was diagnosed with triple hit diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). Since diagnosis in early spring, Joel has been through 5 different chemo regimens to varying degrees of success, but nothing has worked very well for very long. He and his doctors are currently working to find a viable long-term solution to karate kicking the cancer for good.
The thing is, cancer is capital "E" EXPENSIVE. Enormous. Elephantine. This fight is a full-time gig. Joel and Alli have been traversing back and forth to treatments, sometimes crossing state lines. As treatments and approaches evolve, bills are mounting atop medical debt from past hospitalizations. And as doctors pivot to new and experimental treatments for Joel after exhausting more conventional courses of action, the bills continue to keep creep higher. Funds from this campaign will go towards all of that, and hopefully help offset some wages lost and other expenses incurred while fighting this battle.
How you can help Joel in his fight
Joel and Alli thrive on good vibes, so definitely send those. But the goal of this campaign is to help alleviate bills so that Joel and Alli can concentrate on Joel's health. Anything and everything will help.
What else can you do?
Navigate over to www.JoelKarateKicksCancer.com for an overview and landing page of all things Joel; the "whole of Joel," if you will. There you’ll find a bit more info, a few more photos and a couple of links steering visitors to other ways to stay involved.
Joel and his front office/top brass/chargé d’affaires will be posting real-time updates on the next steps in his treatment, including an upcoming relocation to Houston, the next procedure, recovery, and a smattering of thoughts and reflections along the way.
Please bookmark and become a Member of Joel’s Karate Kicking Community at https://my.lotsahelpinghands.com/community/joel-karate-kicks-cancer to hear the latest.
Ultimately, we’d like to spread the word. Please share these links via social media, email or messenger pigeon with all you know who might be willing to help. And thank you, on behalf of Joel, Alli, their families, and everybody else who loves them, for taking the time.
A little (ok, a lot) of background on Joel, Alli, and this tremendous fight
If you want to know more about Joel, his wild relationship with his health, and what he’s up to now, read on! But if you're just here for the TL;DR version, here it is: This isn't Joel's first illness rodeo, but fingers crossed it's his last. It's going to be a journey across multiple cities, limited opportunities to work, and many, many procedures. Which is to say, in the grand rodeo of Joel's treatment, we need as many cow pokes and rodeo clowns as possible to make sure he's taken care of and so he and Alli can stop hanging out in hospitals all the time.
Ok? Now the long part!
Close your eyes and picture the cutest, fuzziest, cuddliest golden retriever pup. Pretty cute and awesome, right? And also a too-excited crazy bouncy energy ball? Precocious, gregarious, curious about the world and excited to befriend everyone. Full of energy and always getting into something, whether it’s a new project or a new kind of mischief. If the spirit and energy of a golden retriever puppy could be bottled up in human form -- with a sociology degree, tattoos, and a howlingly infectious laugh -- it'd be Joel.
Unfortunately, it’s not always been an easy road for this human-puppy hybrid of a man. His current diagnosis -- triple positive diffuse large B-cell lymphoma -- is going to require a lot of steps to defeat: Relocation, experimental treatments, an infusion of genetically modified, ninja-trained cancer fighting cells, and more. Karate kicking cancer in the face is Joel's full-time job right now, and he's getting great performance reviews. But it's going to take further dojo training and a community of support behind him to cap off this epic quest.
You might be wondering: How does this man maintain such positive energy in the face of such a grueling fight? Well, part of Joel’s enthusiasm for life and everything about it comes from the long road he’s traveled to get to good health. He's a fighter. And he's been in it for the long haul. Here's a quick glimpse into his journey with sickness and health. Oh, and there's also a love story for you romantic types...
2002: Joel is diagnosed with advanced granulomatosis with polyangitis (aka GPA), a rare autoimmune disorder that attacked the tissues of his lungs, joints & kidneys. Doctors take a full year to get the GPA under control and into remission. Ominously, Dr. Buzzkill also warns that at some point his kidneys will fail due to the damage sustained from GPA.
2012: Our hero is living his best life in Portland, OR. He's finally ready to graduate with a Bachelor’s in Sociology from Portland State University. He is fit, active, and jubilant... until BOTH of his kidneys begin abruptly shutting down. A call from his nephrologist comes a few hours before his very last final exam. But hey, he still graduates.
Joel receives his diploma while simultaneously on dialysis. He later moves home to Minneapolis to hunker down with family and continue the complicated and painful process of living on dialysis while awaiting a kidney transplant.
Feb. 26th, 2013: Joel’s new-to-him kidney (lovingly nicknamed "Righty" and "Karl") is snipped, stuffed, sutured, super glued, and properly plugged in by the wonderful transplant team at the University of Minnesota Fairview. Righty was sourced from Joel’s Favorite Aunt Ruth Grant - her kidney comes online just 45 minutes after being plugged in, and has been filtering along wonderfully ever since. A singing telegram in the form of a pink gorilla was lovingly sent by some good friends to help with the recovery, with laughter being the best medicine and all.
2014: Joel’s life takes a DRAMATIC turn for the better. He’s managing his own home remodel business, improving his carpentry & client-relation skills and generally killin’ it. During these jolly good times, he meets a cute friend of his buddy’s girlfriend at a board game night. She asks him to grab her a beer. "Coming right up," he says, and then promptly forgets to ever get her that beer. (Memory has never been Joel's strong suit.) Despite all that, a couple months later she agrees to a date. Joel and Alli have been inseparable ever since.
2016: Alli is offered a dream job in Washington, DC. She makes the move out in April of 2016. Joel and their nutball of a cat, nicknamed "The Bids," follow six months later. They all settle into a tiny apartment, and Joel eventually lands an awesome position with an amazing home remodel outfit. Bliss, love, and excitement bloom on the east coast.
Close your eyes and picture the cutest, fuzziest, cuddliest golden retriever pup. Pretty cute and awesome, right? And also a too-excited crazy bouncy energy ball? Precocious, gregarious, curious about the world and excited to befriend everyone. Full of energy and always getting into something, whether it’s a new project or a new kind of mischief. If the spirit and energy of a golden retriever puppy could be bottled up in human form -- with a sociology degree, tattoos, and a howlingly infectious laugh -- it'd be Joel.
Unfortunately, it’s not always been an easy road for this human-puppy hybrid of a man. His current diagnosis -- triple positive diffuse large B-cell lymphoma -- is going to require a lot of steps to defeat: Relocation, experimental treatments, an infusion of genetically modified, ninja-trained cancer fighting cells, and more. Karate kicking cancer in the face is Joel's full-time job right now, and he's getting great performance reviews. But it's going to take further dojo training and a community of support behind him to cap off this epic quest.
You might be wondering: How does this man maintain such positive energy in the face of such a grueling fight? Well, part of Joel’s enthusiasm for life and everything about it comes from the long road he’s traveled to get to good health. He's a fighter. And he's been in it for the long haul. Here's a quick glimpse into his journey with sickness and health. Oh, and there's also a love story for you romantic types...
2002: Joel is diagnosed with advanced granulomatosis with polyangitis (aka GPA), a rare autoimmune disorder that attacked the tissues of his lungs, joints & kidneys. Doctors take a full year to get the GPA under control and into remission. Ominously, Dr. Buzzkill also warns that at some point his kidneys will fail due to the damage sustained from GPA.
2012: Our hero is living his best life in Portland, OR. He's finally ready to graduate with a Bachelor’s in Sociology from Portland State University. He is fit, active, and jubilant... until BOTH of his kidneys begin abruptly shutting down. A call from his nephrologist comes a few hours before his very last final exam. But hey, he still graduates.
Joel receives his diploma while simultaneously on dialysis. He later moves home to Minneapolis to hunker down with family and continue the complicated and painful process of living on dialysis while awaiting a kidney transplant.
Feb. 26th, 2013: Joel’s new-to-him kidney (lovingly nicknamed "Righty" and "Karl") is snipped, stuffed, sutured, super glued, and properly plugged in by the wonderful transplant team at the University of Minnesota Fairview. Righty was sourced from Joel’s Favorite Aunt Ruth Grant - her kidney comes online just 45 minutes after being plugged in, and has been filtering along wonderfully ever since. A singing telegram in the form of a pink gorilla was lovingly sent by some good friends to help with the recovery, with laughter being the best medicine and all.
2014: Joel’s life takes a DRAMATIC turn for the better. He’s managing his own home remodel business, improving his carpentry & client-relation skills and generally killin’ it. During these jolly good times, he meets a cute friend of his buddy’s girlfriend at a board game night. She asks him to grab her a beer. "Coming right up," he says, and then promptly forgets to ever get her that beer. (Memory has never been Joel's strong suit.) Despite all that, a couple months later she agrees to a date. Joel and Alli have been inseparable ever since.
2016: Alli is offered a dream job in Washington, DC. She makes the move out in April of 2016. Joel and their nutball of a cat, nicknamed "The Bids," follow six months later. They all settle into a tiny apartment, and Joel eventually lands an awesome position with an amazing home remodel outfit. Bliss, love, and excitement bloom on the east coast.
January 2019: Work takes Alli to Northern Thailand, and Joel is able to join her for a weeklong vacation complete with splashing elephants, chaotic tuk-tuk rides, and the best food they've ever had. But Joel has other things on his mind. Excited and nervous, he bumbles out a sentence that Alli eventually realizes is a proposal. She says "yes," and the couple rides off into the sunset -- well, the airport.
March 2019: Joel notices some weight loss and consistent sharp abdominal pain. His kidney doctor orders the first scan, which reveals a rather large set of tumors presenting throughout his abdomen, torso, neck and slightly in his liver, qualifying it as stage 4. On March 26, 2019 -- the same day Joel became an uncle, since his horrifying diagnoses tend to correlate to something joyous -- he receives official confirmation of Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma (DLBCL).
April 2019: Joel ceases work and begins chemotherapy on April 3, two days after his 40th birthday. These are not the cocktails he hoped to celebrate with.
June 2019: Joel spends most of spring and summer 2019 undergoing four cycles of chemotherapy, taking up residency at the hospital for 7 days at a time. (Alli, ever the trooper, becomes an expert at sponge baths, one of the many silver linings Joel sees in the process.) After beginning chemo, scans indicate everything the doctors wanted to see: a fast, positive reaction and a reduction in tumors. On June 27 Joel and Alli get the call they hoped for: “all clear, no active sign of disease.” Joel rings a gong signifying the end of treatment and the resumption of greatness.
July 2019: Joel and Alli resume life: enjoying overdue R&R, doing some traveling, visiting friends. Pretty much *Tuesday Livin’™. However, in mid-July Joel notices a sensitive node in his neck. The evidence of a recurrence of the disease is confirmed, and new treatment plans begin.
[*note, Tuesday Livin’ is practiced and defined as “aggressive relaxation.” It’s a state of mind and approach to life. Original credit: Paul Ward of Eau Claire, WI]
Present Day: Joel’s life is a whirlwind of doctor’s visits, chemo acronyms, prescription meds, calendar dates written only in pencil, feeling fine/feeling low, growing relationships with the great nurses on GWUH 5 South, and as many Revel rides as he’s felt up to, which has been a lot. (Revel is a super fun rentable-by-app fully-electric moped that tops out at 30mph. An exceptional way to buzz back and forth between appointments in DC.)
After the failing of the first chemo, Joel’s doctors shifted focus to an approach that would allow for a bone-marrow transplant (BMT), as they saw it as the best shot for Joel’s full, long-term recovery given his exceedingly complicated case. However, the doctors' inability to get Joel's cancer under control with chemotherapy makes him ineligible for a BMT, so after a few months of hoping and waiting, it came time to explore new options.
Alli and Joel have met with a lymphoma expert and his team at the National Cancer Institute (NCI). They recommended that Joel pursue with haste setting up appointments with institutions that deliver a cutting-edge new science-fiction immunotherapy called CAR-T cell therapy ....
If you get a chance, ask Joel about this crazy new therapy. His description of this tech is great, and contains tons of Jason Bourne and ninja references. There are guaranteed to be sound effects. His excitement to be part of this radical new treatment brings him the energy of a kid at Christmas. That's our Joel in a nutshell. Throughout this journey, there has been only constant: Joel is Joel. Our favorite human-puppy hybrid will always find the best in any situation, because he is the best of any situation. He's in the fight of his life, again. Here's our chance to show him that we've all got his back.
(Pictured: Joel, training to karate kick cancer since 1984)