Dear Family, Friends and Supporters,
I pride myself as a man who has overcome and conquered many life challenges without needing much help from others. I am a man who works hard and enjoys spending quality time with family and friends. However, with that said, I have been humbled this past year. This year, I have lost my cleaning business and my position as a community college instructor due to Covid-19 and related cutbacks. Now I am in a fight for my life. I am currently undergoing four to six months of chemotherapy and given that this has occurred while my sources for income have been lost, I am unprepared to battle mentally, physically and financially.
My Story: Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday
April 17th, 2021, I received a call from the oncology department at Valley Medical UW informing me that I had been diagnosed with Anaplastic Large Cell Lymphoma (ALCL). ALCL is an aggressive Non-Hodgkin blood cancer that aggressively attacks the lymphatic system.
On the evening of March 17th, 2021, As I entered the bathroom and turned on the light, I noticed that I had unexpectedly grown a neck the size of a linebacker.
The next morning I called the urgent care line and they directed me to the nearest emergency center. The ER believed it to be a virus and sent me home with a week of antibiotics. The unofficial diagnosis was that of an “ Angry Lymph Node”. After a week of antibiotics, the only change was that I now had three Angry Lymph Nodes on my neck. I scheduled an appointment with my general physician who was unable to identify the issue and referred me to an ear nose and throat physician. I was then scheduled for a biopsy. A month-and-a-half had passed before I got the biopsy and I now had angry lymph nodes on both sides of my neck.
Why my story is titled “Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday'': on Tuesday the 15th of April, I was informed that my current employer had forgotten to submit my timesheet for the pay period, due to the fact that I would no longer be on the payroll and that my final paycheck would not be deposited on time. In addition, I would receive one half the owed amount a month from the current pay date, and then the second half a month later. Unfortunately, before I had a chance to process and reflect on what had just happened, my truck broke down the next day (Wednesday, April 16th). I was told that my truck would need $1,500 in additional repairs. Regrettably, before I could wrap my head around both Tuesday and Wednesday's events, Thursday rolled around and I received a call from the hospital. The call informed me of the official results from the biopsy; The result revealed that I had what is called Anaplastic Large Cell Lymphoma or ALCL.
ALCL is an aggressive Non-Hodgkin's T-cell cancer that attacks the lymphatic system. The cancer’s only objective is to eat and multiply as fast as possible. Just in case you didn't know trouble travels in packs of three.
Without income and a family household to support, I have passed the ability to financially handle things. I did my best to cover the loss of my business due to the Covid-19 pandemic, but I was not prepared to handle the financial aspects of having cancer. From my research via cancer support sites, I knew I would be in for a rough ride and I am proud that I have made it this far. However, I will need financial help completing the rest of this journey as well as getting back on my feet.
I am uncomfortable asking for an amount of financial help, so I ask that you offer what you feel you can. Regardless, I appreciate all the support that I have received and I thank you in advance.
Sincerely,
Deidre Deek Howard