Support Julio’s Stem Cell Transplant for Multiple Myeloma

Greetings to all that know, love and have supported Julio with his delayed diagnosis and treatment of Multiple Myeloma. Please read the update provided by Brian and Julio below along with an additional opportunity to support the effort to full remission and ongoing healing.

Dear family and friends,

As most of you may know, Julio was diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma cancer in December. This is a cancer of the plasma cells of blood and bone marrow. As the cancerous plasma cells spread, they cause bone lesions and fractured bones. Due to the unique disease presentation and delayed diagnosis, almost all of Julio's ribs were fractured along with his sternum and compression fractures in his back. This was intensely painful, debilitating and slow to heal. Since diagnosis, Julio has been receiving chemotherapy weekly with good results and his bones are progressing in healing. Even though he still has back pain, he is now healthy enough to receive a stem cell transplant.

For those of you that are unfamiliar with this procedure, I'll give a brief description.

The main purpose for a stem cell transplant is to administer intense doses of chemotherapy to kill as many cancer cells as possible. During this process, it also destroys his bone marrow and all of his white blood cells. The next step is to reintroduce the stem cells that were previously harvested from his blood to rebuild his immune system cells, including plasma cells. The goal is to put him into a remission for as long as possible.

This procedure has a major impact on the body and the immune system, leaving him very vulnerable to infection. It takes about six months to fully build his immune system back to normal.

This procedure is scheduled for late June/early July at OSHU. He will be in the hospital for several weeks, and remaining in OHSU campus housing until mid-August.

I, Brian, Julio's husband, will need to care for him before and after the hospitalization for the stem cell transplant and for several months afterwards. Due to his multiple fractures, I have been caring for him since he was diagnosed in December. As you can imagine, this has caused a major financial drain for us. The donations from the previous Go Fund Me were indescribably helpful and we are so very grateful for the gifts of time, prayer and financial support from you all.

We are now requesting additional help for the months ahead. I am humbly asking, if you can, to help us again, with any amount, no matter how small. It would be greatly appreciated and helpful to cover basic expenses, gas and mortgage while we see Julio through the stem cell transplant and are unable to work.

With all the love and support, we will make it through this!

Thank you with love,

Brian and Julio