New Grandfather with Mantel Cell Lymphoma
It was May of this year when my father, Pete, started with some discomfort in his abdomen. Originally he thought it may have been a hernia he had been treated for a year ago so the thought of going to a doctor was never a big priority. So he continued with his regular routines with the exception of lifting anything heavy. 2018 was turning out to be a great year, he had already a one year old grandson and two more on the way from each of his two sons, Sam and Alex.
June proved to be a tougher month since the pain increased with July being the toughest where he would spend entire days in bed under excruciating pain sometimes with cold sweats. He soon began to lose his appetite and strength where August and September he would be bed ridden for consecutive days and weeks, finally pushing him to see a physician.
The news was like a bucket of ice water, Mantel Cell Lymphoma was confirmed after MRI, blood tests and a biopsy disclosed that he was in stage 4 giving clarity to the traditional symptoms of this disease. At the age of 71, Pete would find himself in a dilemma that although he felt he had lived a long life, he wished for the opportunity to be around a little longer to see his grandchildren grow. The reality was that he may not have that much time so at a minimum he wanted to eliminate the pain that he was experiencing. With the hope of a better diagnosis, Sam and Alex convinced their parents to come from the comfort of their humble retirement home in Colima, Mexico (the place they decided to go back to retire because their only source of income is social security) to Los Angeles where they could see a Specialist since they were covered by Medicare and Medical. To everyone's surprise the healthcare system in Los Angeles ended up being more complicated than could have been imagined. Pete's conditioned worsened and instead of being able to see a specialist they were caught in a maze of hospitalizations and appointments further bringing frustration and desperation.
Sam had recently started working with ChenMed, a Miami headquartered Health Care provider where the mission is to honor seniors with affordable VIP care that delivers better health. Trusting the Vision and Mission of the company, Sam relocated his parents to Miami to become members in November. During the first two weeks Pete was able to promptly get an appointment with an Oncologist who was able to finally give Pete help and hope. Not only was he able to help him control his pain but was very confident that he would be able to successfully treat him and add a few more years to his life through treatment using Rituxan and Bendeka.
Excited about the potential, Pete agrees to be treated but as often happens to stories that are too good to be true, the insurance company will not cover the cost and the out of pocket expense of $2,500 per dose may as well be $25,000 for the retired parking attendant and his wife the colorist from a small custom clothing company in Los Angeles.
Sadly this is where we are at present, seeking avenues to help fund my fathers treatment, not for health but for life for which he only has months if not treated. We've applied to foundations, the manufacturers assistance program and Medicaid but either funds are no longer available or it will take months to get an outcome so out of need we have decided to put this Go Fund Me Page together knowing the that the human nature of man to help man is deeper than than the pockets of capitalism.
Thank you all in advance for reading the story and your donations. The sad reality is this story is not the first and will not be the last but as long as we can find caring people and providers that focus on transforming care of the neediest population, the future of seniors like my dad may not be so bleak.