Kendall Bizzell Strong
Donation protected
~Kendall passed away April 5,2021 at St. David’s Round Rock with Hyla by his side. He was 55 years old. He will be dearly missed.~
***Due to Kendall’s numerous medical conditions, he was not able to qualify for any life insurance. Hyla and the kids will be losing all of his disability benefits which will create a real financial hardship.***
(Make sure to click “read more” to see the whole story)
Over the last ten years Kendall Bizzell’s medical bills have grown to more than ten million dollars. Fortunately, a large portion of that has been covered by Medicare and private health insurance, but not nearly all. To help ease the financial burden, family and friends have come together to organize a virtual fundraiser for him and his family.
Online contributions can be made through this GoFundMe page(they charge a 2.9% fee), or BETTER if you can make checks payable to: EDWARD JONES and under memo #79722828
Edward Jones
102 West 8th Street
Georgetown, TX 78626
We would ask that you read Kendall’s story, share it, and help make this event a success.
Thank you very much,
Kendall’s Family & Friends
Here is Kendall’s story, shared by his loving wife and most diligent caregiver, Hyla Bizzell
June 9, 2010 was a day that would change the course of our family forever. I took Kendall to the ER at Seton Williamson. Two hours after our arrival, we were meeting with the oncologist on call and he was telling us that he thought Kendall had the dreaded “c” word -- cancer.
A lumbar puncture would confirm that Kendall had Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) and it had a 40% survival rate. He received chemotherapy treatments and made it to remission, but his doctor said his best chance of survival would be to have a stem cell transplant at MD Anderson in Houston. We moved to a condo close to the hospital in March and began the process to prepare for the procedure. Our boys moved in with their grandparents and our daughter finished her senior year in high school while still living at home.
Kendall’s sister, Kayla Bizzell, was his donor and he received his transplant on March 28, 2011. The transplant was a success and we moved back to Georgetown in August.
We took our daughter, Amanda, to college, our son, Adam, began middle school. Our youngest son, Aaron, started 3rd grade. Kendall went back to work, and we felt like we were getting our lives back on track.
Unfortunately, Kendall developed Graft vs. Host (GVHD) disease in January of 2012. GVHD occurs when the donor’s T cells (the graft) view the patient’s healthy cells (the host) as foreign and attack and damage them. GVHD can be mild, moderate, or severe. In some cases, it can be life-threatening. Kendall’s case is severe and is considered chronic. It affects his skin, mouth, joints, and internal organs. Home health comes every few days to treat his feet, which is where he has the condition the worst. It is very painful, and he must receive a treatment, called photopheresis, every few weeks and take steroids to try to keep the GVHD under control. Photopheresis can be compared to dialysis.
He has also had to have two cornea transplants because of the disease and only has sight in one eye now. This is in addition to the diabetic retinopathy that he must receive eye injections for to protect his remaining sight. He is no longer able to drive. Kendall also had to have all his teeth extracted because they were damaged from the steroids.
Kendall has been a part of numerous drug therapies and trials, but there has been no improvement over the years. His doctors have told us that they are doing their best to help him manage the side effects and the pain.
Dealing with such a debilitating condition has been extremely difficult, unfortunately, GVHD is not all that Kendall has had to seek treatment for and endure. Kendall also has diabetes, a condition brought on by gall bladder disease and pancreatitis.
He has been diagnosed with severe depression and suffers from terrible anxiety attacks that come on frequently and without warning; it can last for hours. He has fallen and broken his hip, which required surgery and the placement of 3 screws, a broken wrist, requiring surgery, and a metal plate. He has neuropathy in his hands and feet caused by diabetes and chemo treatments.
Because of the many open wounds on his body caused by the GVHD, he has been plagued by serious infections including strep, MRSA, and C-diff that have required several hospitalizations. Kendall has battled pneumonia almost yearly and was diagnosed with a type of kidney disease this summer that cannot be cured, only managed.
His latest health crisis came on November 22, 2020, when he tested positive for Covid-19, which developed into Covid-19 pneumonia. The doctors have told us that the virus has progressed the GVHD in his lungs. He has been in the hospital for eight weeks and counting. When the lung doctor first started treating Kendall, he told him that he had been admitted to the hospital more than 60 times. He told him he stopped counting at 60.
Kendall has been married to Hyla Hundley Bizzell for 28 years and has three children. He is the son of lifelong Georgetown residents Sammie and Don Bizzell (former owner of Steger & Bizzell Engineering, Inc.). He is the son-in-law to Richard and Dee Starr of Georgetown. Kayla Bizzell (Smith), Kendall’s sister, and Hyla are both teachers at Village Elementary. He is the brother-in-law of Archie Don and Holly Barrett.
Kendall has suffered and has endured so much, but still takes pleasure in his family and all things Texas Longhorns. He is so proud of his children and all that they have been able to accomplish during these difficult times. Amanda has recently graduated from the University of Texas Medical Branch with a master’s degree and has accepted a position as a neonatal nurse practitioner in Phoenix, Arizona. Adam is a junior at Texas Tech, majoring in Civil Engineering and doing very well, and Aaron is a senior at Georgetown High School, excelling in sports and academics and is looking forward to attending college.
This has been an exceptionally long and difficult journey and we could not have made it without the love and support of our friends and family!
***Due to Kendall’s numerous medical conditions, he was not able to qualify for any life insurance. Hyla and the kids will be losing all of his disability benefits which will create a real financial hardship.***
(Make sure to click “read more” to see the whole story)
Over the last ten years Kendall Bizzell’s medical bills have grown to more than ten million dollars. Fortunately, a large portion of that has been covered by Medicare and private health insurance, but not nearly all. To help ease the financial burden, family and friends have come together to organize a virtual fundraiser for him and his family.
Online contributions can be made through this GoFundMe page(they charge a 2.9% fee), or BETTER if you can make checks payable to: EDWARD JONES and under memo #79722828
Edward Jones
102 West 8th Street
Georgetown, TX 78626
We would ask that you read Kendall’s story, share it, and help make this event a success.
Thank you very much,
Kendall’s Family & Friends
Here is Kendall’s story, shared by his loving wife and most diligent caregiver, Hyla Bizzell
June 9, 2010 was a day that would change the course of our family forever. I took Kendall to the ER at Seton Williamson. Two hours after our arrival, we were meeting with the oncologist on call and he was telling us that he thought Kendall had the dreaded “c” word -- cancer.
A lumbar puncture would confirm that Kendall had Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) and it had a 40% survival rate. He received chemotherapy treatments and made it to remission, but his doctor said his best chance of survival would be to have a stem cell transplant at MD Anderson in Houston. We moved to a condo close to the hospital in March and began the process to prepare for the procedure. Our boys moved in with their grandparents and our daughter finished her senior year in high school while still living at home.
Kendall’s sister, Kayla Bizzell, was his donor and he received his transplant on March 28, 2011. The transplant was a success and we moved back to Georgetown in August.
We took our daughter, Amanda, to college, our son, Adam, began middle school. Our youngest son, Aaron, started 3rd grade. Kendall went back to work, and we felt like we were getting our lives back on track.
Unfortunately, Kendall developed Graft vs. Host (GVHD) disease in January of 2012. GVHD occurs when the donor’s T cells (the graft) view the patient’s healthy cells (the host) as foreign and attack and damage them. GVHD can be mild, moderate, or severe. In some cases, it can be life-threatening. Kendall’s case is severe and is considered chronic. It affects his skin, mouth, joints, and internal organs. Home health comes every few days to treat his feet, which is where he has the condition the worst. It is very painful, and he must receive a treatment, called photopheresis, every few weeks and take steroids to try to keep the GVHD under control. Photopheresis can be compared to dialysis.
He has also had to have two cornea transplants because of the disease and only has sight in one eye now. This is in addition to the diabetic retinopathy that he must receive eye injections for to protect his remaining sight. He is no longer able to drive. Kendall also had to have all his teeth extracted because they were damaged from the steroids.
Kendall has been a part of numerous drug therapies and trials, but there has been no improvement over the years. His doctors have told us that they are doing their best to help him manage the side effects and the pain.
Dealing with such a debilitating condition has been extremely difficult, unfortunately, GVHD is not all that Kendall has had to seek treatment for and endure. Kendall also has diabetes, a condition brought on by gall bladder disease and pancreatitis.
He has been diagnosed with severe depression and suffers from terrible anxiety attacks that come on frequently and without warning; it can last for hours. He has fallen and broken his hip, which required surgery and the placement of 3 screws, a broken wrist, requiring surgery, and a metal plate. He has neuropathy in his hands and feet caused by diabetes and chemo treatments.
Because of the many open wounds on his body caused by the GVHD, he has been plagued by serious infections including strep, MRSA, and C-diff that have required several hospitalizations. Kendall has battled pneumonia almost yearly and was diagnosed with a type of kidney disease this summer that cannot be cured, only managed.
His latest health crisis came on November 22, 2020, when he tested positive for Covid-19, which developed into Covid-19 pneumonia. The doctors have told us that the virus has progressed the GVHD in his lungs. He has been in the hospital for eight weeks and counting. When the lung doctor first started treating Kendall, he told him that he had been admitted to the hospital more than 60 times. He told him he stopped counting at 60.
Kendall has been married to Hyla Hundley Bizzell for 28 years and has three children. He is the son of lifelong Georgetown residents Sammie and Don Bizzell (former owner of Steger & Bizzell Engineering, Inc.). He is the son-in-law to Richard and Dee Starr of Georgetown. Kayla Bizzell (Smith), Kendall’s sister, and Hyla are both teachers at Village Elementary. He is the brother-in-law of Archie Don and Holly Barrett.
Kendall has suffered and has endured so much, but still takes pleasure in his family and all things Texas Longhorns. He is so proud of his children and all that they have been able to accomplish during these difficult times. Amanda has recently graduated from the University of Texas Medical Branch with a master’s degree and has accepted a position as a neonatal nurse practitioner in Phoenix, Arizona. Adam is a junior at Texas Tech, majoring in Civil Engineering and doing very well, and Aaron is a senior at Georgetown High School, excelling in sports and academics and is looking forward to attending college.
This has been an exceptionally long and difficult journey and we could not have made it without the love and support of our friends and family!
Organizer
Kayla Bizzell
Organizer
Georgetown, TX