<div>Thank you to the dear supporters of this GoFundMe account for our incredible son, Garrett Robert East. It’s only been a little over 2 months that I had to give my last hugs and kisses and hold the hand of my beloved Garrett. I miss him in everything I do. A huge piece of my heart is missing. Many times it is hard to breathe just thinking about everything. I wish it was just a bad dream and soon I will wake up and Garrett is here, healthy and happy. I just wish for one more day to hold him again. I am forever changed and see life completely different. 



</div>



<div><br />



</div>



<div>This past Friday was a day of love shared between beautiful family and friends. My baby is in his final resting place in Washington. Garrett will forever have an unobstructed view of his beloved Seattle, Lake Washington and the cascade mountains (on a clear day), the same mountains and lake he could see from his apartment. 



</div>



<div><br />



</div>



<div> A huge thank you to all the amazing people who helped make his graveside service and Garrett’s Celebration of Life at Live Life Church as special as he is. We love you all. We love you Garrett. 



</div>



<div><br />



</div>



<div><img src="https://d2g8igdw686xgo.cloudfront.net/71477137_1719760931532571_r.jpg" width="100%" media_type="3" alt="71477137_1719760931532571_r.jpg" /><br />



</div>



<div><br />



</div>



<div><span> If you would like to view Garrett’s memorial video that was played at the celebration of life: <a href="https://vimeo.com/970301971" target="_blank" class="" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">https://vimeo.com/970301971</a> </span>



</div>



<div><br />



</div>



<div> Please see my <a href="https://www.facebook.com/JenniferLDEast?mibextid=LQQJ4d" title="">Facebook Page</a> or this link:  <a href="https://vimeo.com/995627463" target="_blank" class="" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">https://vimeo.com/995627463</a> to watch/listen to the amazing concert by Mark Etherington of Mountain Holler, who played a tribute for Garrett. He is so incredibly talented and we are so very grateful. 



</div>



<div><br />



</div>



<div> <span>With a very grateful heart for all the support and love over the past year we thank you all. The funds from this account helped ease Garrett’s mind when he couldn’t work anymore and has helped our family tremendously with medical bills, final care for Garrett and some of his burial costs. We collectively thank you all from the bottom of our hearts. The love and support means the world to us. </span>

</div>



<div><br />



</div>



<div>Garrett is all around us, you just have to look. He was so incredibly thankful to each and every one of you. Don’t hesitate to give that hug and tell someone how you feel about them, we aren’t promised tomorrow. Much love to you all ❤️



</div>



<div><br />



</div>



<div> I’m including a link to Garrett’s Obituary:  <a href="https://www.newcomerorlando.com/Obituary/279682/Garrett-East/Orlando-FL" target="_blank" class="" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">https://www.newcomerorlando.com/Obituary/279682/Garrett-East/Orlando-FL</a> which includes an incredible eulogy, written for Garrett by his sister, Anna. She delivered it so beautifully at the graveside service, along with heartfelt messages from his brother Collin, best friend Mitch Foster, my cousin Bob Danson (who also lead the entire service so wonderfully) and so many others. It was so touching to hear all of the stories. I don’t have many photos, if anyone who attended have any to share, please send my way.

</div>



<div><br />



</div>



<div><img src="https://d2g8igdw686xgo.cloudfront.net/71477137_1719760813588562_r.jpg" width="100%" media_type="3" alt="71477137_1719760813588562_r.jpg" /><br />

</div>



<div><br />



</div>



<div><img src="https://d2g8igdw686xgo.cloudfront.net/71477137_1719760857497238_r.jpg" width="100%" media_type="3" alt="71477137_1719760857497238_r.jpg" /><br />



</div>



<div><br />



</div>



<div><br />



</div>



<div>ORIGINAL POST:



</div>



<div>I felt compelled to help my friend as she and her husband have taken yet another flight from Orlando to Seattle to be with their son, Garrett East, who is fighting cancer for his right to live. September of 2022, Jennifer East told me that her oldest son, Garrett, had stage 3 metastatic melanoma that had started as a lump under his arm.






</div>





<div><br />





</div>





<div>UPDATE: This original fundraiser was to help Garrett purchase lymphoma equipment and any extra funds will help pay for his mounting medical expenses. His condition is now advanced to stage IV Metastatic Melanoma.<br />





</div>






<div><br />






</div><img alt="" media_type="3" src="https://d2g8igdw686xgo.cloudfront.net/71477137_167975878562443_r." width="100%" />






<div><br />






</div>






<div>This is an advanced form of cancer that has spread beyond the original tumor to other areas of his body, including his brain. The original surgery was a partial success to remove the affected lymph nodes, but because they were too large and attached to the nerves, the surgeons had to stop. Garrett was left with swelling and painful lymphedema under his arm and chest area, which could be a permanent condition.






</div>






<div><br />






</div>






<div><span>His family of six have all taken turns to be with Garrett as much as possible, since the diagnosis, living across the country. The family especially tries to be present while Garrett deals with the side effects of the treatments. Now Garrett lives with his parents full time, so they can help him with his care. </span><br />





</div>






<div><br />






</div><img alt="" media_type="3" src="https://d2g8igdw686xgo.cloudfront.net/71477137_1679758892224777_r." width="100%" />






<div><br />






</div>






<div>During his second round of cancer treatment, Garrett faced another obstacle. His radiologist discovered that cancer has spread to Garrett's brain, and he has a tumor, which was removed in 2023 to prevent permanent damage to his vision.






</div>






<div><br />






</div><img alt="" media_type="3" src="https://d2g8igdw686xgo.cloudfront.net/71477137_167975896211222_r." width="100%" />






<div><br />






</div>






<div>Brain surgery was but one step in Garrett’s recovery. After the craniotomy, which lasted almost five hours, Garrett recovered and then 6 rounds of radiation with a cyberknife machine. 






</div>






<div><br />






</div><img alt="" media_type="3" src="https://d2g8igdw686xgo.cloudfront.net/71477137_1679759042298418_r." width="100%" />






<div><br />






</div><img alt="" media_type="3" src="https://d2g8igdw686xgo.cloudfront.net/71477137_170066064936316_r.jpeg" width="100%" />






<div><br />






</div>






<div>Garrett then relocated to Florida for more advanced treatment at the Orlando Health Cancer Institute and has tried twice to get into trials there, denied first for having too many tumors and the second because he had previously been treated with a brain tumor. Then he has patiently waited for an FDA approval for the TIL (tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes) procedure. 




</div>




<div><br />




</div>




<div>Garrett has endured 31 rounds of radiation (brain, axilla and adrenal areas) and 18 rounds of immunotherapy / chemotherapy, at the time of this update. He has fought his way back from sepsis twice, a bad seizure (broke his back) and many other horrible side effects from his many medications. 




</div>




<div><br />




</div>




<div>This is why his family’s support – and yours – is so vital. Garrett has been unable to work since the fall of 2023, so his place of work ended his health insurance as of the end of 2023. Garrett and his family now pay for expensive insurance but are applying for financial aid and disability. 




</div>






<div><br />






</div>






<div>Balances owed after insurance coverage, combined with unexpected and costly out-of-pocket expenses, (just one example is a $50,000 bill for his chemotherapy port that is still outstanding) can devastate anyone's budget. When you factor in that his parents may need to relocate again to help facilitate his healing, the family is facing an overwhelming financial burden.






</div>






<div><br />






</div>






<div><strong>Your donations will help.</strong>






</div>






<div><br />






</div>






<div>If you can spare the cost of an average cup of coffee, please consider donating to help Garrett and his family. Please share this with others. 




</div>






<div><br />






</div>






<div><strong>Thank you!</strong>






</div>






<div><br />






</div>






<div>Garrett's family will continue to update you on this site, as Garrett navigates through this painful and difficult phase of his life. Your support means so much to Garrett and his whole family. He is so incredibly grateful for each and every one of you. 




</div>






<div><br />






</div><img alt="" media_type="3" src="https://d2g8igdw686xgo.cloudfront.net/71477137_1700661045236171_r.jpeg" width="100%" />






<div><br />






</div>






<div><em>On behalf of my dear friend and her sweet family, thank you for helping me help them.</em>






</div>





<div><em>~Mary Brotherton</em>





</div>






<div><br />






</div><img alt="" media_type="3" src="https://d2g8igdw686xgo.cloudfront.net/71477137_1700661562809073_r.jpeg" width="100%" />






<div><br />






</div>






<div><strong>Thanks to generous donors, the fundraiser met the original goal within the first week, but we all know cancer doesn't give up easily. Neither does Garrett!</strong>






</div>






<div><br />






</div>






<div>At 35, Garrett has a mountain of in debt due to out-of-pocket medical costs. All funds from this account have been used to help defray his medical bills over the past year, including deductibles and his portion of bi-weekly chemotherapy / immunotherapy treatments, radiation, hydration infusions, constant tests and scans, ER visits, hospital time, recovery time, uncovered medications and procedures over the past year. This doesn’t factor in the hundreds of thousands of dollars for the upcoming TIL procedure in 2024.




</div>






<div><br />






</div><img alt="" media_type="3" src="https://d2g8igdw686xgo.cloudfront.net/71477137_1700661614180443_r.jpeg" width="100%" />






<div><br />






</div>






<div>Thank you for sharing the fundraiser and encouraging others to donate. You are making a huge difference to Garrett and his family!






</div>






<div><br />






</div><img alt="" media_type="3" src="https://d2g8igdw686xgo.cloudfront.net/71477137_1700661200882965_r.jpeg" width="100%" />






<div><br />






</div><img alt="" media_type="3" src="https://d2g8igdw686xgo.cloudfront.net/71477137_1700661237333723_r.jpeg" width="100%" />






<div><br />






</div><img alt="" media_type="3" src="https://d2g8igdw686xgo.cloudfront.net/71477137_1700661257348054_r.jpeg" width="100%" />






<div><br />






</div>






<div>#helpgarrett #miracles #thankful #grateful #prayersforgarrett #cancerwarrior #recoveryforgarrett #cancersurvivor




</div>






<div>#prayerrequest #ingratitude #appreciation






</div>






<div><br />






</div><img alt="" media_type="3" src="https://d2g8igdw686xgo.cloudfront.net/71477137_1700661867620097_r.jpeg" width="100%" />






<div><img src="https://d2g8igdw686xgo.cloudfront.net/71477137_172316124861338_r.jpg" width="100%" media_type="3" alt="71477137_172316124861338_r.jpg" /><br />






</div>

Doreen Weimann

Anonymous

Shelby Washington

Will Smith

Elliott Payne

Devin Bryant

Jose Vargas

Valdimir BOURSIQUOT

Kelly Gutierrez

Melanie Radliff

Joshua Jauz

Sarah Judsen

michelina wingerter

Cheryl Urciuoli

Dylan Sciancalepore

Allie Grams

Amer Halwani

Mitchel Foster

Sarah Henderson

Roselynn Surdam

Help Garrett Fight the Effects of Cancer

platform

Platform is iOS

Android

Adyen Google Pay Development Audience

$opt_dummy_attribute

English only

Deprecate Stripe Legacy

dyn_template_ids

Adyen V6 Bene Transfer & MyMoney Campaign Organizers - test01

Bene transfer V6 and AdyenV6MyMoney Campaign Organizers - production

OneTrust next-app audience

fundCountryCode

NextDoor Share Option Users

Fundraisers with Reactions feature capability

fundCurrencyCode

US + Non-charity COs Only

locale

fund country is US and user language is English

personId

comms-internal-person-ids

Enhanced Story Experience Users

Suggested Goal Experience Users

user language is English and fund country: US, AU, DK, FI, IE, NO, SE, CA, GB; 

Poster share - new funds eligible (newest 9/18)

Streaming widgets beta user

paymentProcessor

3DS payment method

user language is English and fundCountry: US, AU, DK, FI, IE, NO, SE, CA, GB; 

GoFundMe Employees

ipAddress

Mark Rieth IP Address

Version 9.2.0 and above

Fund is in English speaking country

desktop

Android v12.11.0 and above

Platform is Android

paymentMethodType

checkoutType

Payment method type group to be vaulted on success

admin pr kit prod

EUR Donation Upsell

Share Text generation Skip Fundraiser

(prod) new funds eligible for amp12 (UGC gallery)

fintrac_cad_idv_form_v2 audience

paymentProcessorAccountId

fallback mode accounts

proCampaignId

p2p legacy startfundraising page

be_supporter_comments_enabled_supported_funds

AMP24 New Funds Only PROD (DO NOT MODIFY)

countryCode

charityId

UKCharities

Federated Search Internal Testing

route.pathname community

US Donation Upsell audience 

Auto Thanks Feature Audience

Supporter Comments Eligible Funds

International Only

fundId

braze fundraiser group 

Payment Identity Transfers ATO Risk Check (Targeted) - Production

Fundraiser Saved Payment Method Rate Limit Bypass (Production)

leaderboard-partner-id-audience-givepanel

Version 9.2.1 and above

AUD Donation Upsell audience

fundraiserCountryCode is US/EN

Active Fundraiser - Smart Default Cadence

DAF Internal

Vault on success card payment method

Platform is iOS v11.0.0 and above

Desktop users

Person ids

United States (US) users

allow yuno fundraisers for test

Mexico country code

Posters INTL

NPO Profile Opted-In

iOS at or above 12.4.0

non-US recurring donors

Canada Campaign Owner Group

Fundraiser Without Meta Link

Scheduler payment tester gorup

charityCommunityId

Charities allow to be claimed unclaimed (PRD)

Canada (CA) users

currencyCode

UC Tipping v20250115 International

pymk_production_xplr_fe_team

Android at or above 12.2.0

Profile photo entry point audience

smart goals (fundraiser/manage) on test01

Activity Tracking v1 Beta Testing

writePath

Stream Notification

start gfm intl allowed locales

Platform is iOS v11.2.0 and above

prod_ach_audience

AI Chatbot Audience

amp13 only new funds (prod) (anyword auto)

UC Flow Enabled (Prod)

Payment Identity Beneficiary Verification - Production

shared notification bell audience

Custom users

ach frontend audience

Android v11.0.0 and above

Users Receiving Payments Paused Notifications

smart goals test01

Manage Coach - US English Organizers Only + new funds only

Team EGG - IP Address list

Fundraiser Without Instagram Deep Link

Native 11.4.0 and above

UC Tipping v20250107

Users Receiving Braze KYC Validation Failed

Native 11.3.0 and above

Influencer - Prod

US fundraisers and US users

userEmail

template_id

userId

fundUrl

isCharityCo

email

appVersion

shouldBucketIntoExperiment

partnerId

donationCadence

isActiveFundraiser

isPartner

isMobile

npoProfileOptIn

fundIsLinkedWithMeta

hasSessionDonation

isCampaignOwner

fundHasInstagramDeepLink

Native 11.4.0 and higher

New funds eligible - Video Sharing (PROD)

GB Donation Upsell audience 

Auto Thanks V3 Rollout Audience

Thank you V3 testing whitelist

isRecurringFriendly

Is Recurring Friendly

Excluded funds - Video Sharing

Logged In Users

CH Donation Upsell audience

Android v10.6.0 and above

userCurrencyCode

Localized Currency

v11.5.0 and above

testAudience

pathname

Survicate

appVersion is at or above 12.8.0

Non-charity fund

isChallengeFundraiser

challenge-fundraisers

Payment Identity Launch Verification - Production

New funds eligible - Posters v2

CAD Donation Upsell Audience

Braze Email Tester

NPO Profile Opted-Out

iOS App Version

hasKnownDonors

PYMK has donors

iOS v12.3.0 and above

Enter your donation forHelp Garrett Fight the Effects of Cancer