Big Darren needs your help. WE CAN DO THIS!!!

I grew up with Darren and have known him and his family almost all my life. He's a big loveable man who has always been kind to everyone and fun as hell to be with. Having a core value of helping others, I know Darren is not comfortable in the role of having to ask people to help him.

Recently diagnosed with cancer, his medical bills have become scarier than the disease he is fighting.

Here is Darren in own words:

It was the First week of August when I was sitting in a small room with a Dr. I had just met when I heard the three words you never think or expect to hear,

"you have Cancer ".

It wasn't like TV or movies. There was no dramatic or sad music playing in the background and there definitely was no Dr rushing in to tell me there was a miracle cure. Just me and a Dr. I had only known for about an hour.

From that very moment my life and my family's life was changed forever.

What should I do next? Is there a cure ? What are my treatment options ? Who will be my Dr ? And then the BIG question Hits, How much will all this cost and can I afford this ????

I had only been recruited to a new company recently and had been working two months when this all happened. That first day turned to a week in the hospital with medical procedures and Chemo treatments to try and get the Mantel Cell Lymphoma under control. Two weeks later I was back in the hospital another week receiving a few treatments that we can say my body was not fond of.

That is what I found out chose me, Blastoid Mantel Cell Lymphoma, a rare type of cancer that has no cure YET. However there are treatments that can help to put it into remission.

Chemotherapy , Immuno Monoclonal Therapy, Stem Cell Transplants, Bone marrow Transplants etc.. etc.. All can help to give me a somewhat normal life and hopefully live long enough to fight for a cure and spend as much time as I can helping others :) Unfortunately these treatments and the medications I must take are astronomically expensive. Insurance does not cover everything. As an example, there is one IV treatment that is roughly $15,000 each time I receive it. Unfortunately that is 5 days in a row during hospitalization. Another treatment is the pills I take each day which I am told average about $30,000 a month unless you pay the cash price to the Pharmacy which is roughly $19,000. These are just one of many pills I take each day.

What I never understood all these years I have helped others is that it isn't necessarily the medical expenses that really hurt Cancer Patients. It's all the other expenses that you incur on the way. For example, we had to move so that we have a home with no stairs and a guest room for family and friends that are coming to stay and help. Stairs.. I never thought I would have difficulty with them. Just the rental with the first, last and deposit was a savings killer. Then there is the "special furniture" we will need to help keep me mobile and comfortable as treatments get harder on my body. We still need a second car so that my wife can work to help pay for all of this. Uber or Lyft rides to and from the 3-4 Dr appointments and treatments each week when no vehicle is available.

Believe it or not, the one that shocked me and caught me off guard was the Clothing. I have lost over 40 pounds in the last two months ( I don't recommend this diet at ALL). This has required me to purchase all new clothes. When you are 6'8" this is NOT an easy task and it is very expensive.

We have had to change our diets to accommodate things like a wiped out immune system. Everything has to be organic and washed multiple times to make sure there are no pesticides or anything that can get me sick.

Then there is fuel for vehicles. I can't begin to tell you the high cost of this right now with the current inflation we are dealing with.

I can go on and on about all the added expenses but the main reason help is needed is simple. My income is taking a huge hit. I am able to work right now but my ability to focus on what I do so well, helping people, is overshadowed by the constant worry of what is coming when it comes to the treatments and time off of work to fight this disease. One treatment alone will keep me from working at least 6 weeks. We have been blessed with friends and family that have donated money to help and we can't thank them enough but we have had to use all those funds just to pay for the initial incurred costs.

Our rent for the next year or so, utilities, food, fuel costs. deductibles, out of pocket maximums for each year, insurance and travel to specialists that are out of the area are all part of the fight and a very big wall we must climb.

The health care system in this country is so far out of whack that it is difficult to ex[plain to someone unless they have experienced it. There are calls and delayed letters each week from the insurance company telling us that the medications I have been prescribed do not fit THEIR criteria of what they think I should be taking. THEIR criteria ( translating to, they don't want to pay for it ).

It seems they would rather you get sicker or die before they change their mind. It is a constant battle and becomes almost a full time job for us. Monthly premiums are VERY expensive and that doesn't cover Dental, vision etc..

Many people ask me if I am angry that Cancer chose me at only 56 years of age. My answer would be this :

Am I angry? Maybe a little at this point. I want to see my future grandkids and I want to spend as much time as I can with my wife and family just like everyone else. Unfortunately this is what life dealt me so I will fight this tooth and nail not only for myself but for others that may find themselves with this disease.

Cancer doesn't just attack you, it attacks your family and all of those people that you love and that love you. That is the hardest part about it.

The way I see it , in all honesty, is that I am young and strong and maybe that is why I have been chosen. I was chosen because Someone else may not have had the strength to fight it themselves ! Well here I Am and here I go !

I'm ready to fight Mantel Cell Lymphoma and all I need is a little help.