Mike Dahlberg Family Benefit Fund
Donation protected
Multiple medical emergencies affecting an entire family
I am creating this GoFundMe page in hopes of helping out my brother, Mike, and his family. This past year has been a tough one for them and they are still in the middle of treatments and follow-up care that have affected them emotionally, as well as financially. His wife, and each of his 3 children, has had to struggle with medical issues recently. My hope is that I can help him by sharing his story and allowing others to donate financially, to assist them with the multiple medical bills that they have accrued, and continue to accrue with ongoing medical appointments and treatments, yet to come.
Most recently, his wife, Shannon, was diagnosed with breast cancer in August 2018. The cancer has moved to her lymph nodes and she is currently on round 7, of 16 necessary rounds of chemotherapy. Once that is finished, she will have surgery, followed by 6 weeks of daily radiation therapy. Shannon continues to impress all of us with her strength and positive attitude.
One month prior to Shannon’s diagnosis, his oldest daughter, Abby, experienced stroke like symptoms, while at home. A CT scan and MRI were done during her emergency room visit and the doctor's discovered a tumor on the back of Abby's brain. It was determined that she had an Acoustic Neuroma - a benign tumor. Due to the large size of the tumor, surgery was scheduled and performed at Mayo last month. The doctors were expecting that this was one tumor but as surgery progressed, they instead found several tumors that were entangled in her facial and hearing nerves, further complicating the surgery, which ended up taking 10 hours. Doctors removed 90% of the tumors and the remaining tumors will need to be shrunk using a gamma knife, which uses radiation to shrink the tumors. She will need genetic testing to establish if the tumors are likely to grow back, later in life. Abby has lost all of her hearing in her right ear and has mild paralysis on the right side of her face. She is unable to work for the next 3 months, at a minimum, and had to put her college education on hold for now. She has such a beautiful spirit and is taking cues from her mother and appreciating each day as it comes.
A few months prior to this, Mike’s youngest daughter, Olivia, needed to have spinal surgery in April of this year. Doctors had spent the past couple of years, trying to correct a curve in her spine but it reached a point where the curvature was at 63% and the writing was on the wall – Olivia would require spinal fusion surgery. They traveled to Gillette Children’s Hospital in Minneapolis and stayed for 5 days, supporting Olivia through her 10 hour surgery and recovery in the hospital. Olivia continues to heal at home and will follow up with doctors at Gillette next month. This sweet, young girl has a contagious smile and continues to be thankful for each day.
Lastly, Mike’s son, Sean, broke his wrist last year and needed to have surgery to place a plate and pins in his wrist. Surgery was successful in stabilizing his wrist and allowing full use of his wrist, which is important to a young man who is attending college to be a nurse. This young man wants to help others and has a bright future in front of him.
I truly appreciate help from anyone who has the means to help my brother and his family. No donation is too small and will help provide relief, no matter the amount. I know that Mike and his family will be so grateful for any donations. If you are unable to contribute financially, please share this link and know that prayers are always welcome.
Thank you!
Lisa
I am creating this GoFundMe page in hopes of helping out my brother, Mike, and his family. This past year has been a tough one for them and they are still in the middle of treatments and follow-up care that have affected them emotionally, as well as financially. His wife, and each of his 3 children, has had to struggle with medical issues recently. My hope is that I can help him by sharing his story and allowing others to donate financially, to assist them with the multiple medical bills that they have accrued, and continue to accrue with ongoing medical appointments and treatments, yet to come.
Most recently, his wife, Shannon, was diagnosed with breast cancer in August 2018. The cancer has moved to her lymph nodes and she is currently on round 7, of 16 necessary rounds of chemotherapy. Once that is finished, she will have surgery, followed by 6 weeks of daily radiation therapy. Shannon continues to impress all of us with her strength and positive attitude.
One month prior to Shannon’s diagnosis, his oldest daughter, Abby, experienced stroke like symptoms, while at home. A CT scan and MRI were done during her emergency room visit and the doctor's discovered a tumor on the back of Abby's brain. It was determined that she had an Acoustic Neuroma - a benign tumor. Due to the large size of the tumor, surgery was scheduled and performed at Mayo last month. The doctors were expecting that this was one tumor but as surgery progressed, they instead found several tumors that were entangled in her facial and hearing nerves, further complicating the surgery, which ended up taking 10 hours. Doctors removed 90% of the tumors and the remaining tumors will need to be shrunk using a gamma knife, which uses radiation to shrink the tumors. She will need genetic testing to establish if the tumors are likely to grow back, later in life. Abby has lost all of her hearing in her right ear and has mild paralysis on the right side of her face. She is unable to work for the next 3 months, at a minimum, and had to put her college education on hold for now. She has such a beautiful spirit and is taking cues from her mother and appreciating each day as it comes.
A few months prior to this, Mike’s youngest daughter, Olivia, needed to have spinal surgery in April of this year. Doctors had spent the past couple of years, trying to correct a curve in her spine but it reached a point where the curvature was at 63% and the writing was on the wall – Olivia would require spinal fusion surgery. They traveled to Gillette Children’s Hospital in Minneapolis and stayed for 5 days, supporting Olivia through her 10 hour surgery and recovery in the hospital. Olivia continues to heal at home and will follow up with doctors at Gillette next month. This sweet, young girl has a contagious smile and continues to be thankful for each day.
Lastly, Mike’s son, Sean, broke his wrist last year and needed to have surgery to place a plate and pins in his wrist. Surgery was successful in stabilizing his wrist and allowing full use of his wrist, which is important to a young man who is attending college to be a nurse. This young man wants to help others and has a bright future in front of him.
I truly appreciate help from anyone who has the means to help my brother and his family. No donation is too small and will help provide relief, no matter the amount. I know that Mike and his family will be so grateful for any donations. If you are unable to contribute financially, please share this link and know that prayers are always welcome.
Thank you!
Lisa
Organizer and beneficiary
Lisa Schmidt
Organizer
Moorhead, MN
Shannon Dahlberg
Beneficiary
