Tim and Janice’s Hotel, Food and Gas Expenses

My name is Jackie Rowlison and I am creating a GoFundMe page for my parents, Tim and Janice Rowlison. My Mom’s latest post reads:

Dec 2024

“Please keep Tim, a donor match, Doctors, our family and for assistance for me to be by Tim's side. As soon as a donor match is found, stem cells will be harvested and Tim's immune system will wiped out to zero to receive healthy stem cells. We took out a loan to cover Hotel expenses for my stay a few months back. This stem cell transplant will require a 3 month hospital stay for Tim. I have faith, but this is so hard. I love you.”

My Dad’s cancer hasn’t responded well to his recent treatment. He will need another Stem Cell transplant, but this time with a donor. He will undergo chemo and radiation for 4-7 days before receiving stem cells. The last stem cell transplant was rough on my Dad and honestly I don’t think he would have made it without my mom by his side.

Now we are asking for help. My Dad has gone through multiple treatments in Chicago with my Mom by his side. They have always tried to pay for the hotel, food, gas etc. on their own, but the financial burden the last couple trips have been very hard on Mom and Dad. He has all ready received two treatments just this year alone, making it unpredictable and very hard for them to save and prepare for other future stays.

Feb. 2024

“My battle with cancer is ongoing but has recently taken another turn and I wanted to post an update on it. I had been in remission for 1 year and 10 months but since March my numbers have been climbing and in October the counts went above the normal limit and continue to climb.

The next step for me is to undergo CAR T-cell therapy. The basics of this are that they will harvest T-cells from my blood and then re-engineer them in the lab to include special receptors that may help identify and attack the cancer cells. They will grow and expand the number of these cells and then reinfuse them into my blood. I will get a low dose of chemo prior to the infusion and the side effects of that arent supposed to be severe. However the side effects of the CAR T-cell infusion can be significant. I will likely spend a few weeks in the hospital dealing with them.

I'm not exactly sure of the timeline for all this. They are just now starting on the insurance approval process. I will post updates as we get closer. Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers, especially for Janice, as she is the main support, help, and rock in my life. Our love to you all!”

As some of you know, this isn’t their first trial with his cancer. In the past, my Dad has spent multiple stays at Northwestern to undergo treatment. Each time he stays, my Mom stays at the nearest hotel so she can be able to take care of him.

The price of the hotel, food, gas and other expenses while staying in the city have become a big financial burden for them. Now with more treatment coming in the future, we need to be prepared for this expense. Having Mom in Chicago near Dad while he is going through treatment is an important part of Dad’s healing.

Please consider donating to help ease the financial burden so they can focus on him getting better. We appreciate all the love, prayers and support during this time.

Much Love,

The Rowlisons