Help for Derick's Cancer Expenses
Donation protected
On November 15th, 2020, Derick went to the emergency room. He had been doctoring for 6 weeks for shoulder and back pain and suspected he had a pinched nerve. However, on November 15th he had trouble using his legs, and thought it best to get it checked out. After a few hours in the ER and some imaging, it was determined that Derick had a lesion (growth) at the top of his spine and needed to be taken to Regions Hospital in St. Paul via ambulance for further diagnosis and treatment. It was a complete shock. Derick had never been hospitalized or even had an IV. He was told he needed to ride in the ambulance alone, and Tiffany could not meet him in the ER at Regions due to COVID restrictions. After 7 hours waiting for a bed to open, Derick was admitted to the ICU, as it was the only place that had space for him. They did more imaging at Regions and determined that Derick had a fracture in his spine that was caused by a tumor. He was told he needed a lengthy and fairly risky surgery to repair the fracture and remove as much of the tumor as possible. In the days leading up to the surgery, Tiffany was able to visit for one hour each day, but their sons, Parker (12) and Mason (9) were unable to visit at all.
The day before surgery, Derick was informed that he was no longer allowed any visitors due to rising numbers of COVID infections. On Thursday, November 19th, he had a corpectomy and spinal fusion surgery. The procedure took 9 hours and included both anterior and posterior incisions. The surgery revealed more damage to the spine than anticipated and the surgeon had to change course. Instead of repairing the fracture, the surgeon removed an entire vertebrae. Overall, the surgeon was pleased with the outcome. Derick spent the next 6 days recovering in the hospital with daily physical and occupational therapy and was discharged on November 25th.
The first week at home was challenging. Derick had very limited mobility in his neck and was weak from the hospital stay. He wore a brace extending from his waist to the base of his head to keep his neck and upper back steady. While he was able to move around the house a little with a walker, he needed assistance in most daily tasks. Tiffany was able to take some time off from her job and worked from home in order to take care of Derick. There were MANY appointments with physical and occupational therapy, follow up imaging, a bone marrow biopsy, and surgery follow up.
It was during this period that the tumor was confirmed to be a rare type of cancer called Multiple Myeloma. This is a form of blood cancer that occurs in the white blood cells and will show as lesions (tumors) in bones. This causes the weakness and deterioration in the bones that led to the first lesion that ended up breaking the vertebrae.
Treatment
Although there is no cure for multiple myeloma, there is a treatment plan. Derick is currently receiving weekly chemotherapy injections. These are administered in the stomach, and unfortunately leave large, red welts. He is also taking a variety of other therapeutic medications daily.
On April 15th, Derick and Tiffany will head to the Mayo clinic to plan a stem cell transplant, which is the next step in the treatment plan. The transplant itself is completed over the course of 2-3 weeks, and will require an additional 3-4 weeks of recovery time. As a result, Derick will be staying in Rochester for a period of about 6 weeks.
Frequently, recovery from a transplant is more trying for a patient than the transplant itself. Often, transplant patients end up in the hospital because they require dialysis or a blood transfusion. Immediately following the transplant, the body stops producing white blood cells for a short period of time, meaning it is unable to fight off infections. This makes recovery potentially dangerous, and as a result, visits with a patient should be limited during this time.
Derick will require treatment for the rest of his life, whether it be daily medications, additional chemotherapy injections, or another transplant. In the event of any future transplants, Derick will need to undergo this 6 week ordeal again. Doctors at Mayo have already informed the Kurpiel's that they will be harvesting 9 million stem cells from Derick, 6 million of which will be stored. These can then be used at a later date should Derick need another transplant.
Cost
Unfortunately, the cost of treatment varies wildly, and will be partially dependent on how well a patient responds to treatment, as well as how many treatments are needed in turn. As Tiffany lamented, "Nobody knows anything until you’re sitting there!" Based on averages and estimates from across the internet, the Kurpiel’s will likely be looking at $110-140,000. While some of this cost will be covered by insurance, the transplant itself is unlikely to be covered, as stem cell therapies are generally considered “experimental” in nature.
Other Considerations
Multiple myeloma is a rare cancer, and usually affects those 65 and older. Because Derick is much younger than the usual multiple myeloma patient, it is going to be harder to predict exactly how he will respond to treatment. While our hope is that his youth provides more vigor in his recovery and a better outlook post surgery, we have no way of knowing until its done.
How to Help
Of course, the easiest way to help is to donate!
If you've already donated, we would love for you to share this campaign far and wide.
Finally, the Kurpiel family needs your love to get through this tough time. Parker and Mason have been so touched at everyone's generosity already, and your continued support makes a HUGE difference. Send your prayers, your positive energy, your healing vibes, or whatever it is you do. Tiffany has read every card they've received to date, and every one had an impact.
If you would like to send a card, please get in touch and Felicia will provide you the address.
Excess Donations
The Kurpiel’s are very concerned that your money will be used wisely. Therefore, any funds they find to be in excess of what they need will be donated to The Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation and/or The International Myeloma Foundation.
More Information
You can learn more about myeloma at https://www.myeloma.org/
Information specific to multiple myeloma can be found at https://themmrf.org/
The day before surgery, Derick was informed that he was no longer allowed any visitors due to rising numbers of COVID infections. On Thursday, November 19th, he had a corpectomy and spinal fusion surgery. The procedure took 9 hours and included both anterior and posterior incisions. The surgery revealed more damage to the spine than anticipated and the surgeon had to change course. Instead of repairing the fracture, the surgeon removed an entire vertebrae. Overall, the surgeon was pleased with the outcome. Derick spent the next 6 days recovering in the hospital with daily physical and occupational therapy and was discharged on November 25th.
The first week at home was challenging. Derick had very limited mobility in his neck and was weak from the hospital stay. He wore a brace extending from his waist to the base of his head to keep his neck and upper back steady. While he was able to move around the house a little with a walker, he needed assistance in most daily tasks. Tiffany was able to take some time off from her job and worked from home in order to take care of Derick. There were MANY appointments with physical and occupational therapy, follow up imaging, a bone marrow biopsy, and surgery follow up.
It was during this period that the tumor was confirmed to be a rare type of cancer called Multiple Myeloma. This is a form of blood cancer that occurs in the white blood cells and will show as lesions (tumors) in bones. This causes the weakness and deterioration in the bones that led to the first lesion that ended up breaking the vertebrae.
Treatment
Although there is no cure for multiple myeloma, there is a treatment plan. Derick is currently receiving weekly chemotherapy injections. These are administered in the stomach, and unfortunately leave large, red welts. He is also taking a variety of other therapeutic medications daily.
On April 15th, Derick and Tiffany will head to the Mayo clinic to plan a stem cell transplant, which is the next step in the treatment plan. The transplant itself is completed over the course of 2-3 weeks, and will require an additional 3-4 weeks of recovery time. As a result, Derick will be staying in Rochester for a period of about 6 weeks.
Frequently, recovery from a transplant is more trying for a patient than the transplant itself. Often, transplant patients end up in the hospital because they require dialysis or a blood transfusion. Immediately following the transplant, the body stops producing white blood cells for a short period of time, meaning it is unable to fight off infections. This makes recovery potentially dangerous, and as a result, visits with a patient should be limited during this time.
Derick will require treatment for the rest of his life, whether it be daily medications, additional chemotherapy injections, or another transplant. In the event of any future transplants, Derick will need to undergo this 6 week ordeal again. Doctors at Mayo have already informed the Kurpiel's that they will be harvesting 9 million stem cells from Derick, 6 million of which will be stored. These can then be used at a later date should Derick need another transplant.
Cost
Unfortunately, the cost of treatment varies wildly, and will be partially dependent on how well a patient responds to treatment, as well as how many treatments are needed in turn. As Tiffany lamented, "Nobody knows anything until you’re sitting there!" Based on averages and estimates from across the internet, the Kurpiel’s will likely be looking at $110-140,000. While some of this cost will be covered by insurance, the transplant itself is unlikely to be covered, as stem cell therapies are generally considered “experimental” in nature.
Other Considerations
Multiple myeloma is a rare cancer, and usually affects those 65 and older. Because Derick is much younger than the usual multiple myeloma patient, it is going to be harder to predict exactly how he will respond to treatment. While our hope is that his youth provides more vigor in his recovery and a better outlook post surgery, we have no way of knowing until its done.
How to Help
Of course, the easiest way to help is to donate!
If you've already donated, we would love for you to share this campaign far and wide.
Finally, the Kurpiel family needs your love to get through this tough time. Parker and Mason have been so touched at everyone's generosity already, and your continued support makes a HUGE difference. Send your prayers, your positive energy, your healing vibes, or whatever it is you do. Tiffany has read every card they've received to date, and every one had an impact.
If you would like to send a card, please get in touch and Felicia will provide you the address.
Excess Donations
The Kurpiel’s are very concerned that your money will be used wisely. Therefore, any funds they find to be in excess of what they need will be donated to The Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation and/or The International Myeloma Foundation.
More Information
You can learn more about myeloma at https://www.myeloma.org/
Information specific to multiple myeloma can be found at https://themmrf.org/
Co-organizers (4)
Felicia McKenzie
Organizer
Lindstrom, MN
Tiffany Kurpiel
Beneficiary
Elise McKenney
Co-organizer
Sue Aguirre
Co-organizer