Fund Zach's Related Expenses
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Below is the original story. Zachary's leukemia relapsed in July 2017. Please read the latest updates, as we're going through very trying times again. Thank you for your thoughts, prayers and generosity. It is difficult to ask for financial support a second time, but this is even harder financially (and in many other ways) than the first time around.
My name is David Price, and some of you may know me as a local youth hockey referee. Professionally, I’ve sold software in the medical industry for the last 10 years. Others may know me through my daughter, Lauren, who is 19. You may know me socially; I’m a proud Tulane graduate and go to this awesome event called Farm Fest every year in late July. A few of you know that I have twin boys, whom turned 2 this past July.
My boys, Zachary and Teddy, had been happy and healthy kids since the day they were born. They were growing up as normally as can be with twins, each having their own identity, and always wanting the toy or parental attention the other was getting at any given moment. Zach was somewhat more athletic while Teddy was more cerebral. On May 22 of this year our lives were thrown into turmoil.
We took the boys to the pediatrician because Zach had a recurring cold that just wasn’t going away. We thought he had a virus. When we took off his shirt, his upper stomach was clearly swollen. We learned that his liver and his spleen were enlarged and the doctor ordered emergency bloodwork. It was Friday of Memorial Day weekend. He was admitted that night to Yale-New Haven Hospital. His bloodwork suggested Leukemia. We were devastated.
Since that time, we’ve moved Zach from Yale-New Haven to Memorial Sloan Kettering (MSKCC) in NYC. He has been diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (“ALL”). We learned that Zachary’s particular Leukemia has a rare mutation called the “Ikaros Deletion”. This makes it is less receptive to chemo, and makes his treatment regimen much more intensive. We were fortunate that MSKCC even does the testing for this, as it is not available in most medical centers.
So far, Zach has responded well to the stepped-up treatments. With this particular mutation, they need to be sure there’s no surviving cancer cells in his blood, as the survival rate for recurrence is poor. Thus, despite being six months into this journey, we still have about a year or more of intensive chemo treatments, followed by two more years of “maintenance.”
Our two boys have very different needs right now. Teddy needs to be two, needs to run around and play with other kids. Zach needs to be cuddled and coddled, have his hand held a lot of the time when he’s walking, and spends a good deal of his time inside. They’re too young to have any understanding of why all this is happening. It’s just frustrating and confusing for both of them.
And our expenses are skyrocketing. I’ve started a charitable fund to deal with expenses associated with Zach’s treatment. This will include transportation expenses, medical aides, and other expenses that arise directly or indirectly as a result of Zach’s Leukemia treatment. I’ve been issued an EIN by the IRS. The account is at Peoples United Bank here in CT.
The goal of the fund is to meet the expenses that are not covered by insurance, including those that arise as a result of Zachary’s illness and treatment but are not medically related. Our travel expenses going back and forth to NYC have added up, as parking, tolls and mileage in the NYC area are steep. Zachary’s health insurance is through his mother’s employer, but she must take a leave of absence to care for him, and we will have to start paying the premiums at some point in the future. Other expenses include a nurse’s aide for time in the hospital, certain P/T expenses that are not covered by our insurance, reimbursing travel expenses for volunteers who have helped with care, and so on.
Thank you for your support. It really means a lot to us, and warms my heart as well. With your prayers and support Zachary will one day be cured and live a cancer free life.
My name is David Price, and some of you may know me as a local youth hockey referee. Professionally, I’ve sold software in the medical industry for the last 10 years. Others may know me through my daughter, Lauren, who is 19. You may know me socially; I’m a proud Tulane graduate and go to this awesome event called Farm Fest every year in late July. A few of you know that I have twin boys, whom turned 2 this past July.
My boys, Zachary and Teddy, had been happy and healthy kids since the day they were born. They were growing up as normally as can be with twins, each having their own identity, and always wanting the toy or parental attention the other was getting at any given moment. Zach was somewhat more athletic while Teddy was more cerebral. On May 22 of this year our lives were thrown into turmoil.
We took the boys to the pediatrician because Zach had a recurring cold that just wasn’t going away. We thought he had a virus. When we took off his shirt, his upper stomach was clearly swollen. We learned that his liver and his spleen were enlarged and the doctor ordered emergency bloodwork. It was Friday of Memorial Day weekend. He was admitted that night to Yale-New Haven Hospital. His bloodwork suggested Leukemia. We were devastated.
Since that time, we’ve moved Zach from Yale-New Haven to Memorial Sloan Kettering (MSKCC) in NYC. He has been diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (“ALL”). We learned that Zachary’s particular Leukemia has a rare mutation called the “Ikaros Deletion”. This makes it is less receptive to chemo, and makes his treatment regimen much more intensive. We were fortunate that MSKCC even does the testing for this, as it is not available in most medical centers.
So far, Zach has responded well to the stepped-up treatments. With this particular mutation, they need to be sure there’s no surviving cancer cells in his blood, as the survival rate for recurrence is poor. Thus, despite being six months into this journey, we still have about a year or more of intensive chemo treatments, followed by two more years of “maintenance.”
Our two boys have very different needs right now. Teddy needs to be two, needs to run around and play with other kids. Zach needs to be cuddled and coddled, have his hand held a lot of the time when he’s walking, and spends a good deal of his time inside. They’re too young to have any understanding of why all this is happening. It’s just frustrating and confusing for both of them.
And our expenses are skyrocketing. I’ve started a charitable fund to deal with expenses associated with Zach’s treatment. This will include transportation expenses, medical aides, and other expenses that arise directly or indirectly as a result of Zach’s Leukemia treatment. I’ve been issued an EIN by the IRS. The account is at Peoples United Bank here in CT.
The goal of the fund is to meet the expenses that are not covered by insurance, including those that arise as a result of Zachary’s illness and treatment but are not medically related. Our travel expenses going back and forth to NYC have added up, as parking, tolls and mileage in the NYC area are steep. Zachary’s health insurance is through his mother’s employer, but she must take a leave of absence to care for him, and we will have to start paying the premiums at some point in the future. Other expenses include a nurse’s aide for time in the hospital, certain P/T expenses that are not covered by our insurance, reimbursing travel expenses for volunteers who have helped with care, and so on.
Thank you for your support. It really means a lot to us, and warms my heart as well. With your prayers and support Zachary will one day be cured and live a cancer free life.
Organizer
Dave Price
Organizer
Stamford, CT
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