Chris Skates Fighting for Family
On February 13th, Chris was diagnosed with Early T-cell Precursor Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. Doctors at Johns Hopkins told him less than 100 cases of this particular disease are diagnosed worldwide every year.
In November, Chris’ job with the state of Kentucky ended due to a change in administration. In December, his beloved dog Chipper was diagnosed with liver cancer and would only survive a few weeks. In January, Chris and his wife moved to Washington, DC to begin a new job, where the cost of living is much higher. Three weeks later, Chris was diagnosed with a particularly aggressive form of Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. He has had significant expenses going through 5 months of intense Chemo. Now, the doctors say he needs a bone marrow transplant to have the best chance of survival. That requires an expensive stay of 66 days at Johns Hopkins Hospital in BALTIMORE. The procedure will be Inpatient/Outpatient, which means he will not be admitted unless there are complications. He and Tracy will have to live very close to the hospital for at least 66 days. Insurance is not covering his housing/travel expenses. The American Cancer Society had a facility that was free for cancer patients, but it has been closed due to COVID-19. Due in part to the COVID shut down, Chris’ house in Kentucky is still on the market. So while existing on disability due to his illness, Chris is about to pay mortgage in Ky, rent in DC, AND rent for temporary housing near Johns Hopkins in Baltimore for the 66 day transplant protocol.
Chris can use some help. He wants to survive and have more years to spend with his new grandchild and family.
Can you imagine going through these treatments with compromised immunity, then the COVID-19 crisis coming along? It has been a very scary time. The bills have mounted, and now there is the possibility of limitations on his insurance benefits synchronizing with the transplant scheduled in July. I humbly ask that you consider any amount to help them with Chris being able to complete his transplant and enjoy many days ahead with his family. He will have to be monitored for years to ensure his cancer doesn’t return, but just getting to that point will be a huge blessing in this tough time. Thanks and God bless you all.