I am writing to share our cancer story and why we are fundraising. Stephen's cancer diagnosis came on Oct 27th, 2022. Stephen was admitted into Sutter Health’s Bone Marrow Transplant Unit in Sacramento. After a round of tests (blood work, MRI, bone marrow biopsy etc) Stephen was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia. The next day Stephen started chemotherapy. He had the usual side effects, as with any chemotherapies, but was determined to soldier on. I was amazed that he never, ever complained, no matter how unwell he felt he just continued to fight. He had fevers, staph infections, edema, nausea, and more. Every day presented itself with a new set of challenges that the medical staff worked on overcoming. It was exhausting to understand what was going on physiologically and medically. When the first round of chemo didn't work Stephen endured yet another round of chemotherapy with the hopes of remission. Stephen never left the hospital, never took a breath of fresh air, or felt the wind on his face or the sun on his back for weeks. His body was never able to fully recover and on March 20, 2023, Stephen lost his battle with cancer.

After 4+ months of inpatient care & treatment, the cost of Stephen’s care was/is significant. We have some support to help us navigate the insurance filing, etc. though we won’t know the full impact for a while. If we were to receive any funds over our needs, we would happily donate the remainder to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Association.

Thank You

Janice