Support Christian in his fight with Cancer

Help Support Christian and his family in his fight against Multiple Myeloma

You've probably heard the usual "our life changed in an instant with the diagnosis" or "we never expected this"… these are all true. It's hard to put into words, what it actually feels like, when you live through hearing these words that will forever alter the life you were living.

Christian, our favorite husband and father, fiercely loyal friend and companion, was diagnosed in May 2023 with cancer that we didn't even know existed in him for years. To say our lives fell apart is an understatement.

Back in 2021, with 3 kids all under the age of four, Christian had taken up the responsibility of being the main caretaker while my career turned busy and more demanding. Throughout that time, Christian started feeling random aches and pains, some dizzy spells, but nothing serious enough to bring him to the doctor.

A couple of years passed and Christian had decided to sell his business in March 2023, with hopes of opening up some new horizons for himself and the family. Around this same time his pains seemed to be getting worse. He started feeling a strong ache in his rear left hip that we started to investigate. We thought maybe he pulled a muscle but when it wouldn't go away after a few months, I urged him to get more robust testing done to see if it was something more serious.

In Spring of 2023 the testing and initial blood work indicated raised protein levels and very high immunoglobulin levels. Our google searches turned up a few different causes, and while we hoped it was something simple, it unfortunately wasn’t. An MRI showed a devastating picture. Christian had widespread disease showing all through his bones.

After more testing and a bone marrow biopsy we learned that he had advanced stage Multiple Myeloma (MM). What followed was a stressful few months that included debilitating chemo therapy, bouts of delirium, more testing, doctors visits, unexpected hospital stays and painful compression fractures throughout his spine.

While Christian's diagnosis seemed grim, his oncologist assured us that much can be done to get him to remission.

While there is no current cure for MM, there are many different, successful treatment options. Christian went through 6 rounds of chemo from June through September 2023. This was devasting to his body, his spirit and difficult for our family to experience. But Christian kept his positivity high with hopes of getting through chemo and onto the final phase of treatment.

This final phase would entail a complicated Stem Cell Transplant at John’s Hopkins, the goal was to get this month-long treatment started in November. Our hopes were high.

Unfortunately, as preparations for the Stem Cell Transplant were underway, we learned that his response to the first rounds of chemo weren’t as successful as doctors had hoped. To say this was a massive setback for Christian and the family is a great understatement. Plans that had been set in place with family, remote housing near the hospital, time-off from work for me and childcare for the month-long procedure – and the mental and emotional strength we had built up – all had to be torn down as we began the arduous task of planning for another round of chemo.

Christian started a new chemo regimen in November and went through 4 more rounds, two more bone marrow biopsies and two procedures to fix the compression fractures in his spine. His body has been ravaged and his mind and soul are struggling but we finally received good news that this second chemo cocktail worked and he's currently in remission as of late February 2024!

The next and most grueling step to ensure Christian gets to long-term remission is the Stem Cell Transplant at Johns Hopkins. We are weeks away from this procedure starting and are preparing for a challenging and life changing 5-6 weeks that will test his will, emotions and physical strength.

Christian will have to move to Baltimore, away from our family, and go through rigorous treatment. Our three children are only 7, 5 and 4 and cannot comprehend what their devoted dad is going through, but every day he fights for them so that he can continue to be an important part of their lives.

We are facing a mountain of expenses that have already added up and will be facing more in the future. From temporary housing bills in Baltimore to myriad expenses like food and childcare for when he is away, to the numerous medical bills, not covered by insurance, incurred this past year. Any small amount of support will help ensure Christian gets the treatment and care he needs.

Your thoughtful donations will go to pay these bills and help our family. We couldn’t be more grateful.

With love and appreciation,

Erin Cunnane