Support Rob's Amazing Medical Journey Against Blood Cancer

On January 10, 2025, Rob went for his annual physical. He did have a couple of concerns he raised with his doctor: shortness of breath and fatigue. His doctor sent him for routine labs and made a follow-up appointment in a couple of weeks. Later that evening around 8 p.m., he kept receiving a phone call from a local unknown number, but he didn’t answer. After the third time of the same number calling, he finally answered the phone. It was the after-hours care clinic asking him which ER was the closest to his home as he needed to get a blood transfusion immediately. His lab results came back, and his hemoglobin (red blood cells) were dangerously low. It was life-threatening, and he needed to get to an ER ASAP.

And his medical journey began. He was admitted to the hospital for 2 days. They asked all sorts of questions to try and determine the source of bleeding. They did a CT scan and more blood work. Everything was coming back normal. Nothing was explaining where the bleeding was coming from. After 4 units of blood were transfused and follow-up appointments with a Hematologist, he was finally discharged to go home.

He met with a Hematologist who ran a different series of blood work to try and determine the cause of the bleeding. Everything once again came back normal. He was then scheduled for a Bone Marrow Biopsy.

After what felt like months, the results of the Bone Marrow Biopsy came back. He was diagnosed with Myelodysplastic Syndrome (MDS) with multi-lineage, a rare form of blood cancer. Basically, his bone marrow is not producing healthy blood cells. Rob is classified as high-risk. Between all 3 of his blood levels (red, white, and platelets) being drastically low, he also has a gene mutation (TP53) that does not respond well to conventional treatment. He is very young to have this diagnosis, so his oncologist is pushing aggressively with his treatment plan.

He is currently undergoing chemotherapy in preparation for a Stem Cell/Bone Marrow Transplant, which he hopes will occur early/late Fall of 2025.

This diagnosis has been life-altering, not only for him but also for his family. He continues to receive blood and platelet transfusions either weekly or bi-weekly, depending on how his body reacts to the chemotherapy treatment. And the ongoing concern of getting sick is very high. He was hospitalized for 5 days at the end of May after catching a cold that turned into pneumonia.

Rob and his wife Angi, will be married for 15 years this coming October, and their son will be 13. He loves the NY Yankees, NY Giants, and roots for the local hockey team Dallas Stars. He is a huge Star Wars fan. He enjoys watching their son play baseball or hearing him perform in the school band. Upon moving from South Carolina to Texas a couple of years ago, he switched professions and became certified as a school bus driver at the local school district. His “kids” love him as a bus driver, and he thoroughly enjoys interacting with them daily. He provides laughter, guidance, and a sense of purpose for them. He continued to work as much as he could through the end of the school year, despite having some fatigue or just having finished a round of chemotherapy. Now with school out for the summer, he is able to focus more on his medical needs. He’s a fighter! And as a family, they are fighting this together.

When he does undergo the Stem Cell Transplant, he will be unable to continue to work for at least 12 months. He will need to rebuild not only his immune system but also his stamina and strength. Although he hopes to be approved for short-term disability, the reduction in income for a year will be a huge burden for his family. Among the ongoing medical expenses not covered by insurance, transportation costs, and other miscellaneous expenses related to his treatment, his family will need financial assistance during this time to help ease the burden and stress of this already overwhelming situation.

Thank you for your generosity. Whether you can donate $10 or $100, we are deeply grateful for your donation and support.