Support Dee and Steve: Facing Cancer Together

Hi, I'm Kristi.

This Go Fund Me campaign is for my sister and brother-in-law, Denise and Steve Parkinson.

Who are Dee and Steve...?

These two are truly Salt of the Earth people. When they first met, they realized immediately they'd found true love, got engaged within a month and were married by the next year. That was 22 years ago this coming August and they're still going strong.

If you know them already, you may know they live just outside Hot Springs AR, amongst the trees in a hand-built house overlooking a tranquil creek. It's a beautiful place they affectionately named "Parkinsas”.

You may know they have amazing, talented children and they are longtime supporters to their community, whether it be Dee starting the HS Community Garden or Steve hosting a radio show every Saturday. You may know they are passionate about life, sharing that passion through their writing, art and music and helping others whenever and however they can.

What you may not know, and the reason for this campaign, is that Dee and Steve are the ones who need our help now.

The Story...

Last fall, coming up for air after a very difficult time processing the death of their eldest son who died in May 2023, they received another shock... Steve was diagnosed with Prostate Cancer.

In the midst of making preparations to plan his treatment, Dee received the diagnosis of Myeloma, a rare bone cancer affecting the bone marrow and causing sudden fractures in the body.

It was just such a fracture that Dee experienced, and is how the Myeloma was discovered: Mere days before Christmas, her femur suddenly, without warning, broke in half as she was getting up from a chair. She underwent emergency hip replacement at that time and has been recovering slowly, while facing together the stark reality they both have cancer.

Like too many others before them, they are now card-carrying members of a club they never anticipated joining and are embarking on a journey neither imagined having to take. They plan to meet this circumstance head-on with all the courage, determination and grit they can muster and with much needed support from loved ones like you.

Anyone familiar with cancer will tell you that there is no director and no script - and although the stage is set, each day reveals a more challenging plot twist to navigate. But one thing is certain: There's a memorable line each of us can speak and act on with conviction: "How can I help?"

This Go Fund Me campaign provides a way for each of us to play an important role in Dee and Steve's story.

The Action Plan...

After a litany of tests, scans, evaluations and consultations with the care team, Dee has begun outpatient chemo and drug therapy treatment at UAMS in Little Rock, which happens to be one of the best facilities for Myeloma treatment and research in the country (and luckily, an hour drive from Parkinsas).

There will be targeted care involving stem cell transplants over the next 6 months to replenish decimated cells, specific treatments to increase Dee's bone strength, as additional fractures can occur, and daily, hours-long infusions of chemotherapy to combat the cancer itself.

For the duration of outpatient treatment in Little Rock they will stay in short term rentals, to be as stable and close to Dee's treatment as possible. Steve will be taking time off work to manage scheduling logistics and Dee's care, and his own treatment will be scheduled as soon as things are more secure for Dee.

How You Can Help...

This campaign will benefit from whatever you are able to give. Steve is fortunate to have insurance through his job, but the US insurance system being what it is, out-of-pocket expenses are not covered and they add up, exponentially.

Items such as deductions, outpatient lodging, traveling, time off work not eligible for PTO, copays for each drug therapy treatment and copays for each consultation they have with oncologists, bone specialists, orthopedists and neurologists... none are covered by insurance.

Certain home improvements will also be necessary to increase safety and mobility at home (ie: bathroom updates, grab bars, exterior railings, etc)... the above are just some of the extra costs to be incurred.

Financial hardships that cancer patients and their families face can be as debilitating as the cancer itself. Your donation - whatever it can be - will help make all the difference to Dee’s treatments, eventual remission and long term recovery, as well as make a big difference for Steve and the surgery and recovery he will have in the months ahead.

Please give as you are able, send healing prayers however you pray and share their story with others, knowing that your Go Fund Me support for Dee and Steve will be received with the utmost love, gratitude and the greatest of heartfelt thanks.

With Love,

Kristi Witt