Don Cash- Stem Cell Transplant

For those that don’t know us, we live on a small island in the Bahamas called Elbow Cay, and run a holiday home rental business.

My husband Don was diagnosed with Hodgkin Lymphoma three months after the worst natural disaster in The Bahamas' history, Hurricane Dorian, pretty much demolished our home, our business and our lives. Because he was diagnosed at such an early stage, his oncologist expected a good recovery and, sure enough, he went into remission after six months of chemo. It was an illusion. He crashed out of remission over a year later. An autologous stem cell transplant increases his chances for a cure – the percentages jump from 30% to 61%! Don wants a chance at those odds. Unfortunately, we just heard from the transplant facility that the total cost for the procedure BEFORE the international discounts and our insurance is applied is $843,000. When insurance and discounts are applied, the amount we have to pay out of pocket Is nearly $205,000. It’s heartbreaking. There are no financial payment plans available. We have to pay our portion in full before anything starts. I guess that’s the price of his life.

Don is one of the most kind-hearted and generous men I know. He would do anything he could to help a friend or a stranger. He’s worked hard for our community and family. We thought we were prepared for our eventual retirement. We thought we had the bases covered. That, too, was an illusion, but who could have anticipated one catastrophic event after another. The hurricane, his cancer, my cancer (which is another story and please God, so far so good), Covid-19, and through it all, Don has remained “Mr. 500%”!

We know everyone has been affected by all the events of the past couple of years, but any help will be most appreciated.

Written by: Carrie Cash