2nd Chance at life: Josh Leukemia Transplant

Co-organized

Team Joshua and Destiny Lincoln are organizing this fundraiser.

Donation protected

Hi my name is Josh Lincoln and I’ve been fighting a silent battle after being diagnosed with a rare blood cancer called Leukemia.

A little while ago, I was in the best shape of my life, boxing, running triathlons, working on music video sets with artists like Justin Bieber Nicki Minaj, Billie Eilish more. Then out of nowhere, I was hit with the hardest news of my life: I had Acute Myeloid Leukemia, one of the most aggressive blood cancers out there. I did chemo, relapsed, did 5 more chemos that failed, and the cancer took over 95% of my body. I lost 65 pounds, I lost my strength, and I nearly lost my life. The doctors told me there was nothing more they could do at Cedars because the cancer was too complex, that if I stayed there I wouldn’t make it. But God made a way. I was rushed by ambulance to City of Hope Cancer Facility for a last-chance clinical trial. My oncologist was very honest with me, for some people the clinical trial worked and for others it had no effect. But Miraculously, it worked for me! I went into remission, the clinical trial was 99.95% successful and for the first time since my diagnosis I felt like I could breathe.. but little did I know that was just the beginning. I needed a bone marrow transplant to survive, and the odds of me finding a match were almost zero.. but against all odds one donor match showed up in the global registry just before I relapsed again. He saved my life. & I later found out he was from a small city in Brazil. Now I’m fighting a new battle with something called GVHD, where the donor cells are not fully engrafting with my body and my immune system is attacking itself. It’s damaged my liver and weakened my immune system drastically. I can’t work consistently right now, some days I suffer with muscle weakness, insomnia, blurry and double vision, nausea, severe itching, and staying up 24 hours +. I can't be around large groups of people, and the treatment is rough, I’m asking for help not because I want to, but because I need to. So I can beat this disease, stay housed, thank my donor, and one day help others going through this. If you’ve made it this far, thank you. If you can donate or share, thank you even more. Every day I’m alive is a gift from God, and I’m holding on to hope that something good will come out of all this.

• Continue life-saving treatment for GVHD

• Raise awareness in communities where matches are the hardest to find

• Travel to meet my donor

• Afford safe housing, transportation, and medical care during recovery.

I believe I’m still here for a reason, that God spared my life and God used a complete stranger to help save my life. Now I want to use my story to help others that are sick. If you’ve read this far, thank you. If you can give or share, thank you even more. There is pain people are experiencing everyday that goes unnoticed, I didn’t appreciate waking up regular everyday, going to work, hanging with friends and family, I really took advantage of feeling healthy and it wasn’t until I got Leukemia that I realized every single day is truly a blessing and every day that you wake up healthy is a truly a gift from God. So if nothing else.. please appreciate every day you have that you wake up without suffering, please be there for those who are currently suffering, and most importantly please be there for yourself.. And always remember “this too shall pass, what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger”

Blessings, and health

Josh

#BeTheMatch #GVHDWarrior #LeukemiaSurvivor #GodMadeAWay #ThankYouDonor