DOLLARS for DURKIN

#DOLLARSFORDURKIN
     This campaign is all about our friend Chris Durkin.  Chris is a wonderful friend, brother, son, and remarkable person.  Chris has had to deal with many damaging medical issues that would be most peoples nightmares and he has always been one that has, despite his own struggles, put others first.  He has been a rock to many of his friends and to his sibilings that were also diagnosed with the same rare condition as Chris. Chris' journey has been a roller coaster of emotional and physical pain and anguish.  I have always admired his ability to remain the same fun-loving, outgoing, caring person that he is.  Even though that under the surface he is dealing with depression and anxiety as a result of all of the trauma he has experienced.  We all need help at some point in our lives and for quite a few of us when we have needed help, Chris has been there.  Chris needs our help this time.  He has just had a hip replacement and his going through physical therapy for that and treatment for skin cancer simultaneously.  When he completes his PT and treatment he will be starting Chemotherapy for a year and a half to remove a large tumor that has recently been discovered growing.   Help raise money to support Chris and to allow him to be free to undergo whatever treatment he needs and have the gas money to get there without having to ever worry about being able to afford doctors appointments, prescriptions, and a plethera of other probable medical expensives.  The less stress on Chris' plate and the more he can focus on taking adequate care of himself, the greater chance of a full recovery.  Any money donated will also help Chris to finally get back to taking college classes and hopefully once and for all finish a degree in any field he wants! Join the Crusade for Chris by donating your #DollarsforDurkin!! 

Continue reading below for a complete account of Chris' medical history and the details of how important it is that we support him now more than ever:

      When Chris was in High School he was diagnosed with a disease in which the only treatment was a bone marrow treatment.  In 2007 Chris received his bone marrow transplant.  With a long road ahead of him, he was expected to make a full recovery sometime in 2008. His health took an unecpected turn and he began to bleed internally in his gut and surgery was done urgently.  There are often times complications of having a bone marrow transplant and one of them is knwon as Graft vs Host Disease.  This is when the  new, transplanted cells regard the recipient's body as foreign and  the newly transplanted cells attack the recipient's body. This compromised his liver, skin, joints, and muscles.  He is still feeling the adverse effects is had on his muscles.  Chris decided that despite all he was going through that it wouldn't stop him from living a normal life.  He had graduated high school, was accepted to college, and moved to New Orleans to pursue a degree in Criminal Justice!  When he wasn't studying or trying to take in every ounce of college life possible, he was still being tormented by his body and its continually depleting health.  Rhabdomyolysis had induced muscle breakdown that had seriously damaged his kidneys but the tip of the iceberg was a massive blood clot that forced him to put his college dreams on the back burner, return home, and undergo surgery followed by multiple blood clots and gall bladder surgery.  Things seemed to be looking up and Chris was able to return back to school at a college clsoe to home.  But yet again, Chris' journey to finishing his degree was cut short.  He had a collapsed lung which led the doctors to the discovery of a large tumor on his lung and the doctors had to remove a piece from three of his ribs in order to remove it successfully.  The process of removing the tumor caused permanent nerve damage that made it nearly impossible for Chris to focus on studying while he was in such immense pain and it was ever harder to study while on pain medication. Now in 2015, after years of ups and downs,  as a result of all of the anti-rejection medications and long term steroids Chris has recently had a full hip replacement and is undergoing extensive physical therapy.  He will be starting treatment for his third bout of skin cancer.  When he has completed treatment for his skin and physiocal therapy, Chris will have to endure a year and a half of chemotherapy to try and get rid of yet another large tumor that the doctors have found.  This is why Chris needs our help more than ever.  He has come so far undeterred by the terrifying obstacles in his path.  These next two years Chris should be able to focus on getting back and forth from physical therapy and/or chemotherapy, getting to doctors appointments, keeping himself as strong as possible, and finishing his degree.  If we all take our pocket change at the end of the day and donate it to Chris, together we can help him worry about taking care of himself instead of having the constant worry and fear about finances.  He needs us to help him accomplish his dream of finishing school instead of struggling to afford medications and doctors appointment.  So join be in the Crusade for Chris by donating your #DollarsforDurkin!