The Humberston Family

In June of this year my father, John, went in for a routine procedure to remove a blood clot from his leg, but it turned out to be much more than that. Following complications from the blood clot, doctors discovered my dad was suffering from stage 4 lung cancer that has metastasized to the brain with several lymph nodes and his lumbar spine affected as well. Since then he has undergone radiation treatment to target the brain cancer and has recently begun chemotherapy to treat the cancer affecting the rest of his body. This has left him unable to work since being diagnosed at the beginning of the summer.

After being given that news, my family was dealt another blow just in the past few weeks. Logan, my 22-year-old autistic brother, began to experience a long-term nosebleed. This nosebleed would lead to the testing that diagnosed Logan with Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia (APL). The treatment plan for this type of leukemia requires Logan to receive inpatient treatment for at least 30 days, which he is currently undergoing at UPMC Shadyside.

During Logan’s very first days at UPMC, my father suffered a medical emergency following a chemotherapy treatment and was brought by ambulance to UMPC Shadyside. They are both currently receiving treatment at the same hospital, UPMC Shadyside, for their perspective diagnoses.

My father was the main provider for our family, working for a small family-owned business for the last twenty-plus years. These two unexpected health crises have placed a lot of financial strain on my family. We are currently traveling forty minutes each way on the days someone is not staying at the hospital overnight.

This is not the type of thing I would ever choose to make if I saw another way of lessening the financial burden on my mother, but this is the reality of the situation my family has found itself in. Thank you all so much for taking the time to even click to read about my family, you’re all more appreciated than you’ll ever know!