Daryl’s Medical Expenses & Care

In August 2020, Daryl Mills was diagnosed with Covid-19. Eventually, he was admitted to the local hospital in Fayetteville, Tennessee, with Covid pneumonia. While in the hospital, Daryl's blood was tested, and it was discovered many of his blood counts were abnormal. After recovering from Covid, he followed-up with his local doctor -- and then with a nearby hematologist -- for further blood testing. 

After extensive testing, it was discovered Daryl had a very rare form of blood cancer called myelo-fibrosis. Often myelo-fibrosis is not discovered until it is too late to treat, but the cancer was diagnosed early enough in Daryl for treatment to be given. The only effective treatment known for myelo-fibrosis is a stem-cell transplant -- a very impactful procedure. Since this seemed to be the best (and only) course of action, a matching unrelated-donor was found, and Daryl went through a successful stem-cell transplant at the Sarah Cannon Cancer Institute in Nashville on July 21, 2021. 

Recovery from the stem-cell transplant was grueling and difficult -- Daryl lost 50 pounds of weight and muscle mass! But after several months of recovery in Nashville, Daryl was sent home -- with a long road of recovery ahead. He seemed to be slowly regaining strength and energy. However, after almost a year post-transplant, the doctors detected some Graft vs. Host Disease (GVHD) in his system. To counteract the GVHD, they started him on a very strong medicine, called Jakifi. 

After a short time on Jakifi, Daryl began showing new and strange symptoms. He started to lose his eyesight, and he was even hallucinating at times! His personality was also changing -- sometimes he acted "high" or childish or extra silly. He was obviously not his normal self, and it all seemed to be getting progressively worse. After repeatedly contacting the doctors about his condition, the doctors decided to bring him back to Sarah Cannon hospital in Nashville to try and figure out what was happening. 

Shortly after arriving in Nashville, Daryl's condition declined even more. He started sleeping almost continuously. Occasionally he would awaken, answer a few questions, go to the bathroom, and go right back to sleep. Eventually, he was barely waking up at all. After taking him off his medicines and running many tests, the doctors at Sarah Cannon were baffled. Within two weeks, they had seemed to run out of ideas. They even called in Palliative Care to "keep him comfortable and happy." Basically, they had given up! 

The family was not ready to give up so quickly, and they quickly pushed to have Daryl transferred to Vanderbilt Hospital. Upon being checked into the ER at Vanderbilt (early on October 15, 2022), Daryl awakened for a short time, answered some questions with nods and head-shakes, and even told his daughter "I love you" (twice). However, after some more moments of clarity, he soon drifted back to sleep. 

The care he has received at Vanderbilt has been absolutely amazing! They have had teams of doctors (Transplant team, Infectious Disease team, Neuro Team...) working around-the-clock on his case. These teams are in constant communication with one another to share information and to determine the best course of action. The Vanderbilt staff is very supportive of the family as well. 

After much examination and discussion, the Vanderbilt doctors believe when Daryl was given the Jakfiki to treat the GVHD, the drug lowered his immune system severely, and this allowed an "opportunistic virus" (possibly PML) to move in and attack his brain. Another theory is that his problems are caused by his own Autoimmune system attacking itself for some reason. A brain biopsy could be performed that would provide much-needed information -- but this procedure is risky and will not likely be done. 

And that is where Daryl's situation currently stands. He is still being tested, probed, poked, observed, fed (through a feeding tube in his stomach), and cared for at one of the best hospitals in the world! Many people have been praying for Daryl and his family -- and the family says, "Please keep praying!" 

You may be thinking to yourself, "How else can I help Daryl and his family? I want to do something!" Here's something you can do... 

Some friends have put together a GoFundMe account to help Daryl and his family take care of some of the expenses that have been incurred during his time at the hospital(s) in Nashville. Your gift can help this family during their time of need! 

But even if you choose not to give, or are not able to give, please pray that Daryl be restored to health soon and brought back home! 

 Thanks for your love and support!