As many of you have heard by now, our buddy Cole has been diagnosed with high-risk Acute Myeloid Leukemia, likely caused by the heavy chemotherapy dosage he received when he had Osteosarcoma 22 years ago. He is down at MD Anderson in Houston, one of the best cancer centers in the world, for the next 6 months receiving treatment. His treatment protocol includes chemotherapy for the first 1-3 months, and once he enters remission, he must then have a bone marrow transplant, a complex process that takes another 3 months. He has a long journey ahead; however his early numbers are showing a positive response to treatment and the doctors have reiterated that this is treatable and curable.

Given Houston is 4 hours from Fort Worth (where Cole and his family live) and is not commutable on a daily basis, Cole will remain in Houston for the duration of his treatment, and Lindsay (Cole’s wife), and his kids, Max (4) and Lila (1) will remain in Fort Worth. Without any immediate family in Texas, Lindsay has made the decision to take unpaid intermittent FMLA from her job to be present and ensure normalcy for the kids as much as possible, and to also have the ability to commute back and forth to Houston for visits when she’s able. In addition, Cole must stay in an apartment in Houston for 2 months after his bone marrow transplant with a 24/7 caregiver, and unfortunately, insurance does not cover this lodging expense, which will range from $4,500-$6,500 per month. We thought this GoFundMe could help the family with the expenses above, and potentially the many other costs that will build-up at this time (meals, childcare, flights, etc.). Cole has always been first to lend a helping hand, so this is our chance to help back.