Saying Goodbye to T-cell Lymphoma

My name is Paul Proehl. People tell me I'm a lot of things;  hard working, kind, understanding, a great father, and friend. I see myself as a father of 3 great kids; Nicholas, Logan, and Callie. I have relentlessly worked to provide the best possible life for them, and instill in them the values instilled in me by parents. As far as my career goes, I'm a Security Supervisor at Point Beach Nuclear Plant  where I treat my co- workers with respect and give them the tools they need to be successful and achieve personal growth. I'm also the owner of a tree service, which my partner and I started with our own blood, sweat, and tears. I work hard to provide for myself and my children. I'm proud of my accomplishments and drive to better myself everyday. But, all of this was put on hold because of a single moment in time.

In October of 2019, I was diagnosed with Acute T-cell Lymphoblastic Lymphoma. In English, you have many different kinds of white blood cells, which are responsible for fighting disease and infection. Some of those white blood cells are split up into B cells and T cells. The T cells are the ones responsible for actively attacking whatever germs are in your body. The B cells are tender cells that “help” the T cells. B-cell Lymphoma is much more common than T-cell. So, of course, as luck would have it, I was diagnosed with the rarer (2%) of the two. Due to the aggressiveness of this type of cancer, I am not able to receive treatment in my home town of Two Rivers; or the nearest big city, Green Bay, Wisconsin. I was immediately sent to St. Luke's Medical Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, for treatment. I now make weekly, sometimes bi-weekly, trips to Milwaukee; which is about 100 miles each way for follow up appointments and treatments. My treatment is a 5 day stay in the hospital where I receive chemotherapy every 12 hours. Each treatment  lasts 4 hours, followed by a 24 hour dose. Treatment also includes a lumbar puncture to have chemo injected into my spinal cord, as well as bone marrow biopsies to track progress. The after-effects of the treatment leave me lethargic. It affects my memory and my overall ability to live my daily life. These symptoms last a few days, and then I start to feel better, but it's not over. In between treatments, I have daily visits to my local cancer clinic for injections to help my body recover from the chemo treatment, along with blood work two to three times a week to track how my body is recovering. I deal with the "everyday annoyances" as I call them, of the chemo treatment. The obvious one is the obvious hair loss, which is not so much a big deal. I didn't have much hair to begin with... However, I could do without the constant runny nose, and the constant bloody nose, and random bruising I get when my platelets are low. Finally, I feel light headedness when I stand up or climb stairs. I feel like I have run a marathon just walking around and doing my daily activities when my hemoglobin drops. In my current state of treatment, my body requires 3 to 5 blood transfusions, and 1 or 2 transfusions of platelets to combat these "annoyances" to get my body ready for the next cycle. 

Once my cycles of chemo are finished, I will be prepped for, and receive, a stem cell transplant. While I do not fully know what the process for the stem cell transplant looks like, I do know that I will be in the hospital for about a month; and it takes careful timing and planning on the part of my medical team for it to be successful. 

Due to the nature of my job in security, I am unable to meet the physical requirement to perform my job, so I am unable to work. I am also unable to work for my business due to  implanted medical devices, and the physical demands required for tree removal. This has greatly affected my ability to provide for myself and my children. Even though being sick prevents me from working, I still have to pay for my house, truck, lights, food, and now a staggering amount of medical and commuting expenses. This has turned the life of my children upside down. They fear the possibility of losing their dad, their house, and their normal way of life. At the same time,they are all trying to do well in school, and meet the expectations they have always been held to. They see the pain that I go through both mentally and physically, which no child should have to witness. They have to be told that daddy can't do that, or can’t take them somewhere, because it could make him sick. One of the hardest things for me to do is to tell my sick child that they can't see me because they are sick. This has very negative effects on my 8 year old daughter, because she doesn't fully understand and just wants to be with her dad. She feels guilty that she caught a cold, and feels like she is being punished for something she has no control over; regardless of how her mother and I try to explain it to her.

If you are willing to donate, your donations will primarily be used for medical and commuting expenses; but will also help provide for myself and my children, in an attempt to keep their life as close to normal as possible. This has not only affected me but all of my family and friends as well..

It took everything for me to swallow my pride and reach out for financial help. I have exhausted all of my other options to financially do this on my own. Since I was 14 years old, I worked and provided for myself. I have cherished the values instilled in me by my parents to work hard and to never give up, to do the right thing and take responsibility for everything I've done, both good and bad. This positive attitude and outlook on life has helped with my battle and I am winning! I will ultimately be cured at the end because I refuse to settle for less. I have a great support network of family, friends, and co-workers who have gone to great lengths to help me. They have set up fundraisers, meals, cleaning, helping with the kids, taking me to appointments when I can't drive myself, and the list goes on.

I want to thank everyone who took the time to read my story. I also want to extend my gratitude to those that choose to help me with the journey that I'm on. I can assure you that your donations will not be squandered and will go to help my children and I return to the life we had before everything came to a screeching halt.