Throughout the summer and fall, our mom, Joyce Sutherland, has stayed with me in Annapolis while undergoing chemotherapy. Every single day, I have been moved and inspired by her resilience to conquer her disease. No matter how tired the chemo makes her, she is committed to getting her walks in, staying hydrated, and maintaining a positive and hopeful outlook. She is doing everything in her power to stay strong and get healthy.

Equally inspiring has been the outpouring of support for her. Family, friends, and loved ones have been so supportive with care packages, cards, phone calls, and visits, and generally making sure she is happy and comfortable.

We turn to her Village for support with this next chapter, which will be unlike anything she has experienced so far. Her lymphoma is not curable with chemotherapy alone. An allogeneic (donor) bone marrow transplant (BMT) will give her an entirely new immune system, one that will be cancer free in the long-run. Her daughter Emily has been selected as the prospective donor.

We are raising money to support her on this journey. She will spend 60+ days in close range of Johns Hopkins as in-patient/out-patient (IPOP), essentially in-patient by day but able to return to a home-away-from-home in the evenings. She will require 24/7 care during this time, which will be largely managed by her daughters. It may be 6 months or up to a year before she is fully recovered. Many aspects of her care, including housing, are not covered by insurance. We will share updates via CaringBridge, which currently includes an FAQ on the BMT and other ways to help. Please follow here (you will be asked to create an account).

If we raise more than we need, any extra will be donated to Wellness House of Annapolis. Wellness House provides support to cancer patients, caregivers, and their families.

We cannot thank everyone enough for their support thus far. Together, we will help Joyce beat this!