Help Don Gotthardt As He Battles Leukemia

My name is P.D. O’Keefe and I’ve started this GoFundMe campaign to benefit Don Gotthardt, a friend, fellow retired police officer, and neighbor in the Northern Neck of Virginia. Many of you may not be aware that Don has been diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia (AML). This is a cancer of the bone marrow and blood cells that progresses rapidly without treatment. While it cannot be determined with 100% certainty, it is very probable that this cancer was the result of Don assisting at the Pentagon crash site after a hijacked plane struck the complex on September 11, 2001. As a Fairfax County police officer, Don was one of many first responders who assisted for several days at that toxic crash site. AML cancer is very frequently caused by long-term exposure to high levels of certain chemicals and has affected a large number of 911 first responders.

Don was just released from Virginia Commonwealth University Hospital in Richmond after spending forty-six days in the Critical Care Unit undergoing multiple procedures, including chemotherapy, to try to get the leukemia into temporary remission. Unfortunately, Don’s medical journey is really just beginning.

• In six to eight weeks, he will return to the hospital for another four weeks for a bone marrow transplant.

• After the transplant, Don is required to reside within thirty minutes of the hospital for approximately six months. They currently live in Lottsburg, Virginia, about 90 minutes away.

• Three weeks of that time period will necessitate that his wife, Jo, stay at his side 24/7. For the remaining months he will return to the hospital almost daily for follow-up treatment and care.

Aside from the pain and suffering that Don has to endure, there is also a great financial burden that has arisen as a result of this life-threatening illness. This campaign is designed to have Don’s friends and colleagues join together to help with some of these expenses, that include:

• Supplement the cost of local Richmond lodging for six months.

• Assist with mounting medical expenses not covered by insurance.

• Augment miscellaneous daily living expenses.

I have rarely met a person like Don, who despite his situation and prognosis, maintains such a positive outlook on virtually everything in life. He moved to the Northern Neck of Virginia with the primary purpose of assisting his father with the care of his mother, who is in the advanced stages of Alzheimer’s. He additionally had started working part time at the Northumberland County YMCA to help his new community embrace the benefits of fitness and healthy nutrition.

Don devoted forty years of his life to serving his community as an officer with the Arlington County and Fairfax County Police Departments. I am asking that we all now help Don in his time of need. If you are able to assist, I’m certain that any contribution you can make would be greatly appreciated by Don and Jo as he battles this disease.