Dear Friends,

For more than a decade, Joe Miles has been a familiar and beloved face in the Kalorama neighborhood, faithfully delivering our FedEx packages with a warmth, kindness and dedication that are increasingly rare.

I first met Joe in 2011, and over the years I have watched him go far beyond simply doing his job. If we weren’t home to receive an important package, Joe would often return hours later to try again. On occasions when I had issues with FedEx that had absolutely nothing to do with him, he would still step in and do everything he could to help.

That’s simply who Joe is: dependable, hardworking, honest and extraordinarily kind. He has spent years taking care of so many of us in our neighborhood. Now, he could use some help from us.

Joe has been unable to work since January and is facing an extraordinarily difficult series of health challenges. After previously battling kidney and bladder cancer, Joe has now been diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a cancer of the blood.

He is currently undergoing his fifth cycle of chemotherapy at Georgetown, with treatment that includes daily medication, intravenous chemotherapy and immunotherapy. And this is just the beginning of the next stage of his journey. On October 13, Joe will be admitted to Georgetown Hospital for approximately 14 days to undergo a stem cell transplant.

My hope is that we can come together as a community before Joe enters the hospital—not only to help ease some of the financial burden he is carrying, but also to lift his spirits and remind him just how many people in this neighborhood are thinking of him and rooting for him.

Through all of this, Joe remains remarkably grateful. As he recently told me, “I’m still here thankful.”

After months away from work, ongoing cancer treatment and mounting medical expenses, Joe is facing the reality that he may not be able to return to the job and neighborhood he has served for so many years.

Money cannot take away what Joe is facing, but it can take away some of the worry that comes with it. Financial security can provide an enormous sense of relief at a time like this—giving Joe the freedom to focus his energy on his treatment, his recovery and simply getting well. My hope is that our collective generosity can give him not only practical help, but also some comfort and joy during an incredibly difficult chapter.

I know Kalorama to be an extraordinarily kind, caring and generous community. So many of us know Joe, have opened our doors to him and have benefited from his thoughtfulness over the years. This is an opportunity for us to return some of that kindness.

Every contribution, no matter the amount, can help ease the financial stress and burden on Joe while allowing him to focus on what matters most right now: his treatment, recovery and quality of life.

I created this GoFundMe on Joe’s behalf, but Joe Miles is the beneficiary. Funds raised through this campaign will go directly to Joe.

This is an honest man who has done an honest life’s work and treated the people along his route with genuine care. I hope we can now surround him with some of that same care.

Thank you for considering a contribution, and please consider sharing Joe’s story with other friends and neighbors who may know him.

With Gratitude,

Kristen Lund