Help Richard fight leukemia and get support during treatment

My name is Philline and I helped my brother Richard (Jigger) create this Gofundme account while he is in the hospital undergoing tests and treatment. It's been a year since I saw my brother, Richard. He came to visit us here in Florida last year. No matter how far or how busy, my brother will always make sure to check on all of us. Sometimes, with limited resources, he has always been kind and generous, and was always there when we needed help.

One day he texted me and said he wasn't feeling well. He felt tired after a shower and couldn't walk to nearby restaurants to get food all week because he was running out of breath. I got worried and told him he should go to the ER. He had an outstanding blood work requisition he was supposed to do a few months back. He finally decided to get it done the next morning.

My brother messaged me the following day stating his doctor received his lab test results and wanted him to go to the ER ASAP! This was deja-vu for me because the exact thing happened to my father 5 yrs ago. He did routine blood work, and the same doctor called him and told him to go to the ER ASAP! I took him to the ER, and since then, my father never left the hospital. He went from hospital to hospital and ended up at Toronto's cancer hospital, Princess Margaret Hospital. My father was diagnosed with AML - Acute Myeloid Leukemia. 1.5 months after my father's diagnosis, he quickly passed away.

Here we are, 5 years later and my brother, at 52 years old, gets the same call from the same doctor to go straight to the ER. My brother went from one hospital, then straight to... Princess Margaret Hospital. After platelet and blood transfusions and a bone marrow biopsy, my brother was diagnosed with B-Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia within 1 week from that ER visit.

He continues to feel weak because his platelets are dangerously low. He needs platelet and blood transfusions, as needed. Having experienced leukemia with my dad, we have to monitor their blood cells. My brother pretty much has no immune system to fight viruses and bacteria. We have to be careful that he doesn't catch anything or get an infection. He is currently fighting an infection in his mouth which was thankfully caught early and had to be treated by medication.

My brother starts his treatment this week. He will have to stay in the hospital for 1 month for his induction phase and will have to continue his journey of treatments and chemotherapy.

Richard is always the life of the party. He's the loud joker making people laugh. He surrounds himself with many friends and visits his family. My brother lives on his own. Currently, he is not working, with no employment benefits or insurance. Richard will need support from his circle and from others in the community who understand the challenges that cancer and leukemia brings to one's life.

My brother will be too weak to function, especially when platelets and blood cells run low. He will continue his treatment and fight through the harsh realities of chemotherapy. Thankfully, he will be in the hospital during his initial 1-month treatment, but there will be times he might have to go home alone in between chemotherapy and treatments and brave this on his own.

Richard will need financial support from his community to help pay for medication. He will also need assistance with rent during this year of treatment and chemotherapy while he's not able to work since he will be immunocomprised. Richard also needs assistance with other daily necessities to survive this challenging time.

My brother has always been kind and generous, and I hope our community can help my brother in his time of need. Your support will allow my brother, Richard, to not have to worry and have the stability he needs while he fights this cancer.

Please help Richard fight this cancer by donating, sharing this link with other kind hearts, or by simply taking the time to read his story. Thank you for taking the time to read my brother's story. With your support, we can help my brother, Richard, beat leukemia and look forward to a healthy future.