Help Don Battle Prostate Cancer

I was supposed to die.

After a few days in the hospital, the doctors came into my room and said something about contacting next of kin. I was lying in bed thinking good thoughts and praying. At the time, I was at my worst, and I had no idea how sick I was.

My friend Paul came to see me from Tampa. While he was in the hospital room with me, one of my nephrology doctors came in to see me. I began to question the doctor about the severity of my situation. The doctor said, and these are his words, speaking about my blood, "that I've seen worse, but not much."

This all fits with everything that happened when I got to the hospital. I was walking around like Tim Conway as the 90-year-old man. My speech was incoherent, and my ability to do anything strenuous was utterly absent. I had to plan out my trips up and down the stairs in my house.

When I initially arrived at the hospital, they knew that I had a blockage and inserted a catheter. The insertion of the catheter was the worst pain I have ever experienced in my life. I have told a few people that in a very small way, I have some idea what women go through in childbirth.

In the opinion of my caretakers, I was not going to make it. They explained to me the toxic content of my blood. In an average person, the creatinine level should be around one. When admitted to the hospital, my creatinine level was at 26!

Initially, along with the kidney shut down, I had sepsis and was suffering from C diff—all at the same time. Yes, I was an extremely sick puppy, but I had no idea until after I was out of the woods and feeling better. Once I started dialysis in the hospital, the bad mojo was being filtered out of my blood.

Some of my nurses told me to buy a lottery ticket. They knew my lab results and told me straight out that it was a miracle I was still alive.

I spent 2 months in the hospital and started Dialysis at a center here in Lafayette, CO. On August 19, I was diagnosed with very aggressive Prostate Cancer (a 9 on the Gleason scale) and have begun treatments to battle this new disease. Surgery to remove the Prostate or Radiation treatments for 45 consecutive days are in my future.

My goals with this campaign are:

1. To raise $80K to pay hospital bills I have already accrued, and those producing my treatments.

2. I had to put my house into forbearance when I went into the hospital, and I am fighting to avoid becoming homeless. Mortgage payments are a must.

3. Pay for groceries, heat, electric, internet and all facets of household expenses while I fight these conditions.

Every day is a blessing. I will live that way from now on, even if I am sick.