Support Greg's battle against multiple myeloma

Greg Foley, 59, shown here with his brother Kevin and sister Cindy, is a working newspaper editor (currently on sick leave) living in the mountains of central Idaho, in the Ketchum/Sun Valley area. He is seeking assistance for mounting medical bills and travel costs related to his diagnosis and ongoing treatment for multiple myeloma, a very serious form of blood cancer in which malignant plasma cells from the bone marrow multiply, form lesions and tumors, and damage the body’s bones and organs. There is no established cure but there are some promising treatments available.

Greg’s journey started in March 2017, when it was discovered that a malignant tumor growing in his spine broke one of his central vertebrae. The tumor was treated with five weeks of radiation therapy and was eventually eliminated, but the underlying condition progressed. Now, more than eight years later, imaging and testing have shown that Greg still has damaging cancer growing on bones in several parts of his body, including his spine, ribs, pelvis and thighs.

Since Greg's initial diagnosis and treatment, he has endured a variety of intense treatments and life-threatening episodes that include:

Greg's gross medical costs over the years have well-exceeded $3.5 million, not including costs for several prescribed medications, consistent travel to Boise and Seattle, and some other costs not covered by insurance. He has paid some $20,000 per year to cover these costs and his insurance deductible/maximum out-of-pocket.

After falling out of remission and having the latest treatment regimen fail, Greg's oncologists have ordered a cutting-edge CAR-T cell immunotherapy program. It involves harvesting immune-system T-cells from the blood and genetically engineering them to fight the myeloma cancer cells in the body. The genetically modified cells are infused into the bloodstream after strong chemotherapy to kill part of the immune system to "make space" for the new cells to replicate and become dominant.

Greg will start the program at Fred Hutch Cancer Center in Seattle next month and will have to be in Seattle until the end of the summer. If the treatment works as planned, it will put Greg back into remission for several years, possibly for a long term of 5-10 years. However, some damaging side effects are a possibility.

The cost of the CAR-T cell therapy program is estimated at $500,000 to $1 million, with variables including hospitalization for severe immediate side effects after the infusion. While Greg does have good health insurance through his employer, he has incurred major costs in recent years and is now facing more major costs to cover travel to and from Seattle, housing in Seattle and some out-of-pocket medical costs for the procedure that have not yet been determined. His sick-leave pay has recently run out and he is facing a major loss of work income for numerous months, as he will not be able to work through the upcoming therapy.

Any help you can provide would be greatly appreciated. Greg is infinitely grateful for all of the support he has received over the years, but needs some additional help at this time. Thank you!