If you feel moved to support the Domsky’s with a check or card of encouragement, please send correspondence to:

Dennis & Heather Domsky

P.O. Box 233

Iuka, Illinois 62849

Cash gifts can be send via CashApp to:

$HeatherDomsky

Our dear friends, the Domsky family, are facing an unimaginable season. One that no young family with many children should ever have to endure. Their world changed overnight when DJ, a devoted husband and father, was unexpectedly diagnosed with Stage 4 thymic carcinoma with metastatic spread, including tumors in his chest, brain, and bone.

For almost two years, he had been quietly battling what seemed like simple neck and shoulder pain. But as November began, his symptoms suddenly worsened. On November 12th, after a frightening spell of dizziness, headaches, and brief vision loss in his left eye, he went to the ER for an MRI. That scan revealed a tumor in the left posterior cerebellum, and he was immediately transported to St. Louis for emergency surgery the next day.

On November 13th, surgeons successfully removed the brain tumor, a tremendous blessing, but imaging revealed something far more serious:

A 4 x 4.2 cm mass in his left upper lung, enlarged lymph nodes, and a suspicious lesion in his right humerus. Over the next week, while he remained hospitalized, test after test confirmed everyone’s worst fear: metastatic thymic cancer. This is a rare and aggressive form that requires urgent, intensive treatment.

He was finally discharged and able to return home to his wife and children, but the journey ahead is immense.

On December 3rd, they returned to St. Louis for a full day of appointments and for placement of a port that will begin his chemotherapy regimen. Radiation planning will follow to treat the area where the brain tumor was removed. Additional testing on the humerus lesion is still underway.

This family is young. They are in their peak working and parenting years. They have many children depending on them. And while they are strong in faith and resilient in spirit, the financial burden they are walking into is steep:

• Treatments and appointments in St. Louis

• Long drives back and forth

• Missed work

• Medical bills

• Childcare needs

• And the overwhelming emotional toll of a life-altering diagnosis

We are rallying around them so they don’t have to carry this alone.

Every amount matters. Every prayer matters. Every share matters.

This is a family who has shown up for so many and now it’s our turn to show up for them.

Thank you for surrounding them with love, support, and hope during this heartbreaking season.

Update:

To Our Generous Friends,

I wanted to share an update on DJ and his family, and to speak plainly about where things stand. This is one of those moments where people shouldn’t have to ask for help themselves.

First, thank you. Because of this community of generous friends and family, DJ and Heather have been able to stay focused on treatment and their kids instead of scrambling just to survive.

So far, $17,405 has been raised on GoFundMe, with an additional $18,675 given through cash and checks. That’s $36,080.00.

This generosity has bought them something invaluable: time, stability, and togetherness during a season that offers very little of any of those.

They’re now entering another critical stretch.

Here’s what the medical road ahead looks like:

• DJ has completed two rounds of chemotherapy

• Upcoming chemo treatments are scheduled for February 3 and February 24

• In the second week of March, he’ll have a CT scan of the chest and abdomen in Mt. Vernon to assess how the chemo is impacting the tumors

• On March 25, they’ll travel to St. Louis for a full day of appointments with radiology, neurology, and orthopedic oncology, along with imaging of the brain and shoulder

On the practical side, things are still very much in flux. DJ will be losing his master tech position. Disability is unresolved — short-term disability was initially approved for only six weeks because everyone genuinely believed he would return to work. An extension is pending now, with back pay expected eventually, but nothing is certain yet.

Income is unpredictable, and decisions about work are still unclear.

This is where support matters most.

Between now and the March scans, the goal is to avoid forcing DJ or Heather back into work while DJ is actively undergoing treatment and the family is navigating constant appointments, side effects, and uncertainty. This time allows them to continue homeschooling the kids, keep routines intact, and stay focused on healing rather than survival logistics.

To help carry them through this next checkpoint, we’re hoping to raise $25,000 over the next couple of months. This would provide stability through treatment, scans, and follow-up appointments — and give the family room to make thoughtful decisions instead of rushed ones.

If you’re able to give, share, or pray, please know that every bit of support matters. And if you’ve already given, thank you for stepping in and helping shoulder this burden when it matters most.

we were able to spend some time with Heather and DJ over the summer and I can’t tell you what an uplifting experience that was for us. these two have such a special connection and they’ve built such a beautiful family. They deserve all the help each of us can manage to give.

With deep gratitude,

TP

We can also turn this into an update from you if you would prefer to speak directly to them. Totally up to you, I just know that sometimes it’s easier when someone else is making the ask.