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Ryan Vonhoff’s medical fund

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In January of 2018, at the age of 36, Ryan was admitted to the hospital with severe swelling in his legs which made it nearly impossible for him to walk. His severely restricted ability to ambulate, along with a 75 pound weight loss, led to further work-up which identified a large abdominal mass.  Pathology results confirmed the presence of advanced testicular cancer with metastatic disease (seminoma).  After his initial surgery to remove the primary cancer source, Ryan was readmitted to the hospital with acute kidney injury.  Within his abdomen, a football-sized tumor was pressing on his kidneys, causing significant renal impairment.  He underwent two additional surgeries, the first to place a drain that assists in relieving the fluid pressure around his kidneys, and the second, to place a port through which chemotherapy is administered. After his first round of chemo, Ryan was hospitalized under isolation precautions for two weeks while his immune system struggled to regain strength.  His journey ahead is long, including an additional 2 to 4 rounds of chemotherapy before he is eligible to be surgically evaluated for removal of his abdominal tumor.  

Prior to January of 2018, Ryan was self-sufficient and an incredibly hard worker.  He graduated in 2001 from Joliet Junior College with an Associate’s Degree in Culinary Arts.  Following graduation, he pursued his passion for cooking and excelled as a Sous Chef at Rich Harvest Farms.  Combining his love of music and food, Ryan accepted a position as a Tour Chef working with many talented musicians.  He shared his culinary talent with upwards of 1500 people per day as part of the crew providing for artists such as Dave Mathews Band, Mumford and Sons, Taylor Swift, Paul McCartney, VanHalen, Rascal Flatts, Eric Church and numerous other artists at various festivals across the United States.  

In May of 2017, Ryan transitioned to a new job.  Sadly, this position does not offer disability coverage, vacation time or sick leave.  While he was able to retain his insurance policy, there is a significant degree of his mounting medical costs that are not covered by his plan.  Ryan’s family has initiated the extensive process to apply for Social Security Disability Coverage; however, the documentation is severely complex, the timeline for application review is lengthy, and coverage is not guaranteed.  

 As Ryan continues his courageous battle against cancer, we are kindly asking for your compassionate help.  Your donation will assist Ryan financially while alleviating a degree of anxiety that is compounding on the stress of being diagnosed with advanced cancer at a young age.  As his family, we would graciously appreciate your donation (of any amount) that will be directly applied toward the mounting medical expenses Ryan has incurred. While it will not eliminate the burdens associated with this horrible diagnosis, it will allow Ryan to focus his strength and energy on fighting cancer and begin the healing process. Thank you for your consideration.
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Donations 

  • M G
    • $105 
    • 5 yrs
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Organizer and beneficiary

Linda Gutzmer
Organizer
Palmetto, FL
Keith Vonhoff
Beneficiary

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