Doug Needs Our Help Chapter 3
Donation protected
March 6, 2018.... We've moved into a new chapter and revised story of Doug, Cathy and their family. I've retained the original story below so you can review the history.
Again... Doug has cancer. It's an aggressive fast spreading type. But from what I understand, if they treat it early, (and aggressively back) they often have good results in erradicating it.
But..... in trying to do this they kept hitting unforseen obstacles and inadvertently created more damage to Doug in the form of a serious heart attack. So now he is a cardiac patient as well as a cancer patient.
And.... on top of this, Doug and Cathy had to travel to Portland , OR (approx. 360 miles) and set up "camp", because this was the fastest & most "open door" way to get started on Doug's diagnoses and treatments.
I hope I don't ramble too much but want to get everyone up to speed and to what/why/how our goals are now.
Doug and Cathy are dealing with a Huge amount right now. Doug's fight to "survive" his treatment(s), finding an avenue of financial help in a "non-resident" situation, deciding long term things like Doug's continual after-treatment needs/daughter Jodi's continual in-home care/should they relocate to Oregon/ Cathy's work & income situation and some mundane things that we take for granted, like paying for food & shelter, keeping the lights turned on, putting gas in the car.....
When I initially set this campaign up I had no clue how it worked, how it would be received, how to keep everyone motivated to "share" and spread the message.... But.. I've been humbled by the way things are turning out. All you guys out there are really cool ! (smile)
Okay... Steps and explanations
1. Why am I raising the goal?
When I originally set this up I tried to figure things out about 3 months or so. Now I realize that when you see the word Cancer you know that the costs will be astronomical. I'm not asking you all to pay for the cancer and now even the heart treatments. (Doug and Cathy are working on that with finding financial help, getting Doug on disability and/or medicaid, looking at their residency options, etc)
I'm looking at everything else... probably for at least a year out. Travel expenses, possible relocation expenses, continual medical related costs that aren't covered. Helping those that are helping them.... Daughter Katie (and her brothers) are running all the household needs in the Moscow home. (My heart is applauding these "kids") But Katie and her family aren't wealthy... they are working stiffs like a lot of you guys. Plane tickets aren't cheap.
And as Jarod noted, notwithstanding the medical costs, the simple logistics of it all will be vastly expensive.
2. How : Simple... You guy s!! Keep sharing and sending the link or story to the world. Organizations, charities, whatever. I'm not asking Anyone to dig deeper into their own pockets, but, to help me make this get as wide spread as possible.
I repeat: Every donation (be it $1.00) has been very much appreciated ! What I want is Volume of donations.... the amount is irrelevent. You know... the old "if everyone gave $2.00" sales pitch. And if the number of everone was 10,000. Just think !
3. What: This is kinda covered in #1. But here is my "transparancy" part. I am John Reeve. I am Cathy's ex-husband, Jodi/Katie/Jarod's bio-dad. Just as my Dad has been a real life hero in my life, so has Doug. He is a true "good guy". I know there a many good guys out there, tho we don't get to hear about their stories often enough. So here is an opportunity for us to help out a good guy in his time of genuine need.
What we are doing with the funds: I've set up an account at my bank to hold the funds until Cathy and I have figured out how to best utilize them. We all want this to stay completely "above board", but want the funds to go to where/when they are needed most. Social Security and Medicaid, etc have rules that need to be followed and definitions for what they consider resources. The funds are being safely held (temporarily) until Cathy and I know how to disperse them. I will keep everyone up to date as this progresses.
That's it for the moment....
Please read thru the first part of the story, below. There are also some links to peruse if you'd like.
And again.... Thank You All for your thoughts, support, generosity, prayers, comments and spreading the story in whatever way you can.
Original Story
The man that raised my kids needs help.
He has cancer, no insurance, no job “leave” and can’t work right now. He not only works full time at a job related to his life long career of working with people who are dealing with emotional, physical and developmental disabilities, he also has been a care-giver for 2 people with special needs, living in his home… one of whom is my 40 year old daughter.
Short history: Doug met, courted and ended up marrying his life’s mate Cathy, in the mid-1980’s. Cathy came with quite a package… 3 small kids (about 7, 6 and 4 years old). Jodi, the oldest, was newly diagnosed with Rett Syndrome (see link below for info). Doug not only accepted this situation/challenge(?)… He embraced it with open arms and has never looked back or wished otherwise.
They even added a 4th child to the family, so it rounded out to 2 daughters and 2 sons.
He has become one of my real life heroes. He has completely embodied the role of what fatherhood should be like and of course, that of husband, also. He has been unwavering in his love for his family, always there to lend guidance and support and consistency. As a father, he reminds me of the George Strait song, "A Father’s Love". (“It’s a love without end, Amen”)
Now Doug needs our help.
This request for help is multi-faceted, with Doug in the center. Any help he receives will help with medical expenses, travel expenses to treatment, possible in-home care for Doug during his recuperation and who knows what else they will face.
On another facet any help will also go towards the family income with such things as care-giving for Jodi while Doug is unable. Cathy has trained to be able to step in for Doug but there a number of things that she is unable to safely do, where strength and simply, size, play a role. They have to, in essence, pay out of pocket for any extra help for Jodi. And with Doug currently not able to work, that would be an added huge hit on their income. The other “client”, Michael is more self sustaining, but he needs constant supervision when he’s home. Both “kids” get on a bus to OUI (see link below), Monday thru Friday. Jodi’s needs are 24/7 and Michael goes to a supervised work environment run thru OUI.
Doug has been diagnosed with High Grade B-cell Lymphoma (non-Hodgkins). They will be meeting with an oncologist soon to see what prognosis and treatments will be looking like.
Note: As I was putting this together I got an update that Doug has Burkitt Lymphoma… please see the links below for information.
I decided to jump in and just ask for help… I set the financial goal rather nebulously not knowing what they’ll be facing, expense-wise. I looked at Jodi’s care and typical meds, travel expenses (it looks like treatments will be most likely 80 to 100 miles away), possible short term in-home care for Doug, and I don’t know… maybe a fudge factor thrown in. And figured it for about 3 or 4 months out.
Of course, any help, even $5… or $1… will be greatly appreciated !! (smile)
I only have one picture available at this time, but have more coming and will update things with new pictures and updates/stories, so you can get to know Doug and his family better. Doug is on the right in the picture. It was taken at our daughter Katie’s wedding in 2009.
And from me…. Thank you
References:
Rett Syndrome (Jodi)
https://www.rettsyndrome.org/
OUI (Opportunities Unlimited) (Jodi and Michael)
https://oui.org/
Burkitt Lymphoma
https://www.webmd.com/cancer/lymphoma/burkitt-lymphoma-prognosis-diagnosis-treatments#1
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burkitt%27s_lymphoma
An earlier statement of more information:
1. Who am I?
I am Jodi and Katie and Jarod's biological Dad, all of who Doug took into his heart, and helped raise, after he and my ex-wife Cathy married in the mid 1980's. I am John Reeve.
2.Where am I from?
The planet Earth, currently residing just outside of Waitsburg, WA.
3.What is my relationship to the parties I am trying to raise funds for?
See #1 above.
4. How will the funds be used?
I don't know specifically, you'll have to ask Doug and Cathy. But I'm assuming they will be used for medical/rehab/travel/homecare, etc., expenses that they are, right now, getting overwhelmed with.
5. If I intend to withdraw the money, how do I plan to send the funds to the parties I'm raising the money for?
What money that has been withdrawn is in an account at my Credit Union. When I get the word from Cathy, I will transfer their funds from my bank to her bank thru an online bank transfer. [Gofundme has a policy that if you don't start withdawing the donations in a certain time frame, then they freeze the account and refund the donors, and being new to this, we figured I should start withdrawing funds into a bank account to keep it all safe]
I thinks that's what they wanted me to share... if any of you have any questions or concerns, Please... contact me thru this site or thru Cathy or Katie or Jarod... Thank you.
Again... Doug has cancer. It's an aggressive fast spreading type. But from what I understand, if they treat it early, (and aggressively back) they often have good results in erradicating it.
But..... in trying to do this they kept hitting unforseen obstacles and inadvertently created more damage to Doug in the form of a serious heart attack. So now he is a cardiac patient as well as a cancer patient.
And.... on top of this, Doug and Cathy had to travel to Portland , OR (approx. 360 miles) and set up "camp", because this was the fastest & most "open door" way to get started on Doug's diagnoses and treatments.
I hope I don't ramble too much but want to get everyone up to speed and to what/why/how our goals are now.
Doug and Cathy are dealing with a Huge amount right now. Doug's fight to "survive" his treatment(s), finding an avenue of financial help in a "non-resident" situation, deciding long term things like Doug's continual after-treatment needs/daughter Jodi's continual in-home care/should they relocate to Oregon/ Cathy's work & income situation and some mundane things that we take for granted, like paying for food & shelter, keeping the lights turned on, putting gas in the car.....
When I initially set this campaign up I had no clue how it worked, how it would be received, how to keep everyone motivated to "share" and spread the message.... But.. I've been humbled by the way things are turning out. All you guys out there are really cool ! (smile)
Okay... Steps and explanations
1. Why am I raising the goal?
When I originally set this up I tried to figure things out about 3 months or so. Now I realize that when you see the word Cancer you know that the costs will be astronomical. I'm not asking you all to pay for the cancer and now even the heart treatments. (Doug and Cathy are working on that with finding financial help, getting Doug on disability and/or medicaid, looking at their residency options, etc)
I'm looking at everything else... probably for at least a year out. Travel expenses, possible relocation expenses, continual medical related costs that aren't covered. Helping those that are helping them.... Daughter Katie (and her brothers) are running all the household needs in the Moscow home. (My heart is applauding these "kids") But Katie and her family aren't wealthy... they are working stiffs like a lot of you guys. Plane tickets aren't cheap.
And as Jarod noted, notwithstanding the medical costs, the simple logistics of it all will be vastly expensive.
2. How : Simple... You guy s!! Keep sharing and sending the link or story to the world. Organizations, charities, whatever. I'm not asking Anyone to dig deeper into their own pockets, but, to help me make this get as wide spread as possible.
I repeat: Every donation (be it $1.00) has been very much appreciated ! What I want is Volume of donations.... the amount is irrelevent. You know... the old "if everyone gave $2.00" sales pitch. And if the number of everone was 10,000. Just think !
3. What: This is kinda covered in #1. But here is my "transparancy" part. I am John Reeve. I am Cathy's ex-husband, Jodi/Katie/Jarod's bio-dad. Just as my Dad has been a real life hero in my life, so has Doug. He is a true "good guy". I know there a many good guys out there, tho we don't get to hear about their stories often enough. So here is an opportunity for us to help out a good guy in his time of genuine need.
What we are doing with the funds: I've set up an account at my bank to hold the funds until Cathy and I have figured out how to best utilize them. We all want this to stay completely "above board", but want the funds to go to where/when they are needed most. Social Security and Medicaid, etc have rules that need to be followed and definitions for what they consider resources. The funds are being safely held (temporarily) until Cathy and I know how to disperse them. I will keep everyone up to date as this progresses.
That's it for the moment....
Please read thru the first part of the story, below. There are also some links to peruse if you'd like.
And again.... Thank You All for your thoughts, support, generosity, prayers, comments and spreading the story in whatever way you can.
Original Story
The man that raised my kids needs help.
He has cancer, no insurance, no job “leave” and can’t work right now. He not only works full time at a job related to his life long career of working with people who are dealing with emotional, physical and developmental disabilities, he also has been a care-giver for 2 people with special needs, living in his home… one of whom is my 40 year old daughter.
Short history: Doug met, courted and ended up marrying his life’s mate Cathy, in the mid-1980’s. Cathy came with quite a package… 3 small kids (about 7, 6 and 4 years old). Jodi, the oldest, was newly diagnosed with Rett Syndrome (see link below for info). Doug not only accepted this situation/challenge(?)… He embraced it with open arms and has never looked back or wished otherwise.
They even added a 4th child to the family, so it rounded out to 2 daughters and 2 sons.
He has become one of my real life heroes. He has completely embodied the role of what fatherhood should be like and of course, that of husband, also. He has been unwavering in his love for his family, always there to lend guidance and support and consistency. As a father, he reminds me of the George Strait song, "A Father’s Love". (“It’s a love without end, Amen”)
Now Doug needs our help.
This request for help is multi-faceted, with Doug in the center. Any help he receives will help with medical expenses, travel expenses to treatment, possible in-home care for Doug during his recuperation and who knows what else they will face.
On another facet any help will also go towards the family income with such things as care-giving for Jodi while Doug is unable. Cathy has trained to be able to step in for Doug but there a number of things that she is unable to safely do, where strength and simply, size, play a role. They have to, in essence, pay out of pocket for any extra help for Jodi. And with Doug currently not able to work, that would be an added huge hit on their income. The other “client”, Michael is more self sustaining, but he needs constant supervision when he’s home. Both “kids” get on a bus to OUI (see link below), Monday thru Friday. Jodi’s needs are 24/7 and Michael goes to a supervised work environment run thru OUI.
Doug has been diagnosed with High Grade B-cell Lymphoma (non-Hodgkins). They will be meeting with an oncologist soon to see what prognosis and treatments will be looking like.
Note: As I was putting this together I got an update that Doug has Burkitt Lymphoma… please see the links below for information.
I decided to jump in and just ask for help… I set the financial goal rather nebulously not knowing what they’ll be facing, expense-wise. I looked at Jodi’s care and typical meds, travel expenses (it looks like treatments will be most likely 80 to 100 miles away), possible short term in-home care for Doug, and I don’t know… maybe a fudge factor thrown in. And figured it for about 3 or 4 months out.
Of course, any help, even $5… or $1… will be greatly appreciated !! (smile)
I only have one picture available at this time, but have more coming and will update things with new pictures and updates/stories, so you can get to know Doug and his family better. Doug is on the right in the picture. It was taken at our daughter Katie’s wedding in 2009.
And from me…. Thank you
References:
Rett Syndrome (Jodi)
https://www.rettsyndrome.org/
OUI (Opportunities Unlimited) (Jodi and Michael)
https://oui.org/
Burkitt Lymphoma
https://www.webmd.com/cancer/lymphoma/burkitt-lymphoma-prognosis-diagnosis-treatments#1
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burkitt%27s_lymphoma
An earlier statement of more information:
1. Who am I?
I am Jodi and Katie and Jarod's biological Dad, all of who Doug took into his heart, and helped raise, after he and my ex-wife Cathy married in the mid 1980's. I am John Reeve.
2.Where am I from?
The planet Earth, currently residing just outside of Waitsburg, WA.
3.What is my relationship to the parties I am trying to raise funds for?
See #1 above.
4. How will the funds be used?
I don't know specifically, you'll have to ask Doug and Cathy. But I'm assuming they will be used for medical/rehab/travel/homecare, etc., expenses that they are, right now, getting overwhelmed with.
5. If I intend to withdraw the money, how do I plan to send the funds to the parties I'm raising the money for?
What money that has been withdrawn is in an account at my Credit Union. When I get the word from Cathy, I will transfer their funds from my bank to her bank thru an online bank transfer. [Gofundme has a policy that if you don't start withdawing the donations in a certain time frame, then they freeze the account and refund the donors, and being new to this, we figured I should start withdrawing funds into a bank account to keep it all safe]
I thinks that's what they wanted me to share... if any of you have any questions or concerns, Please... contact me thru this site or thru Cathy or Katie or Jarod... Thank you.
Organiser
John Reeve
Organiser
Waitsburg, WA
