Kathleen Ryan's CMML2 Cancer Fund

Kathleen needs your help now. Here is her story. August 26, 2017 was a very short-lived celebration of 8 years uterine cancer free for my mother Kathleen Ryan. The very next day she was admitted to the hospital with chest pains. My brother and I sat in the ER with her as we all discussed whether she had a heart attack. The doctor came in the room and stunned us all with the news that she had leukemia. We had to wait a week for a bone marrow biopsy to confirm that she has CMML2 Leukemia. The American Cancer Society states that Chronic myelomonocytic leukemia (CMML) is rare, only occurring in 4 of every million people in the United States each year. That works out to about 1,100 cases each year. CMML starts in blood-forming cells in the bone marrow and invades the blood. We were told there is no cure for the disease and that she only had 12-15th months to live if she didn't start chemo right away to start a journey for a transplant. On September 14th she started chemo that were injections for 7 straight days and repeated every 28 days. On February 28th, 2018, she had her last round of chemo before her transplant which is the profile picture. Mom gets admitted to UNC Chapel Hill on March 21st where she will receive strong chemo to breakdown her immune system to prepare her for the transplant. On March 28th an international unrelated donor that is a 9/10 match to her is going to be giving her the gift of their stem cells to save her life. This is so wonderful but also comes with the dangers of infections and graft vs. host disease which any of these things can be fatal. We are asking for prayers for a safe transplant and speedy recovery.
The second thing we hate to ask for but need to, is financial help. When mom gets out of the hospital, she has to stay in Chapel Hill area for 2-3 months at best. She has to have a 24/7 caregiver (otherwise they couldn't do the transplant). Her daughter Jennifer will be her primary caregiver and son Michael will provide relief on weekends. Her kids both work in law enforcement so thankfully they get FMLA leave however they don't have enough time that is needed and will go without pay for several weeks. Kathleen has been out of work since August.  She has had a rough time in her personal life. Her younger sister that she cared for in her home, passed away on December 21st. Her sister had no money or insurance. While she was burying her sister in another state, moms husband packed his bags and left. She came home to that surprise and to an empty house on new years eve. To make matters worse, her beloved dog died just this Monday, two days before her birthday. So with these instances that she has been rolling with the punches, she has been left with only a percentage of one income and a lot of bills. Moving forward, she has to pay upfront for the housing that she will be staying at during recovery. Volunteers will provide dinners but we will be on our own for other meals or necessities.
Through this all Kathleen has maintained a fighting spirit. Her will to love is strong. She wants more time with her kids and four grand-kids. She wants to have the chance to do things she always wanted to do. Our family and friends have been so loving and kind during her journey and we appreciate everyone and everything. Her donor is giving her that gift of life. You can help her live that life. Please donate money to her fund to help relieve stress on her and her family. Having less financial stress will benefit her greatly so she can focus on healing.