Help Harley Beat A Very Rare, Aggressive Cancer

Hi everyone, my name is John and I am fundraising for a dear friend who needs our help in his time of need. *Please direct your attention to the latest update for some very timely and wonderful news. Some would say a Christmas Miracle!!! :)

Our Updated, but Still Relevant Petition:

Dear Family, Friends, Muzos, Amigos, Amigas, and Supporters,

It is with a heavy heart but unwavering hope that we reach out to you today. Our dear friend, musician, and multi-talented performer/songwriter Harley Warren (Umphrey) has recently been diagnosed with a rare form of cancer. It is known as ‘sarcomatoid carcinoma’. It developed in his bladder. The prognosis of this type of rare cancer ranges anywhere from 10 months to 5 years. If given the best treatments and those treatments being immediately available this prognosis can improve by months and possibly years.

Due to the painful complications of a tumour found on an emergency CT scan, Harley has already been forced to undergo an emergency surgery procedure to have the large cancerous growth removed, in order to relieve him of some of the worst symptoms. The procedure was completed in Singapore, where he and his wife Genevieve Monteiro live.

This news has profoundly impacted his life and the lives of all who hold him dear. Unfortunately, added to the impact of this sudden, unforeseen crisis was the cost of the aforementioned surgery, which ended up being all of Harley’s life savings, as well as costing his closest friends and musician colleagues tens of thousands of dollars of their own money, only to cover only a portion of the total charges and overages for that surgery.

In the face of this, Harley and Gen’s perilous existential and financial challenge, we launched this fundraising campaign to support Harley's fight towards recovery and to alleviate the financial burden that comes with such a diagnosis. This journey began slightly more than 4 weeks ago.

Thankfully, we have an amazing update on our original immediate Phase 1 and 2 goals of USD 50,000.00 (CAS 70,000.00): they have been fully funded (!!!). This sudden surge of funding came just in time, as Harley was approaching two months with little hope of receiving the required treatment, despite our collective diligent efforts here and at his fundraiser. The funds arrived through a perfect confluence of efforts, which is why we now truly believe in miracles.

With immense gratitude for all the donations, the remarkable fundraiser at Hero's Bar in Singapore, and the extraordinary kindness of a single, anonymous Canadian benefactor, Harley's initial treatments are now set to commence. His treatments will begin on Tuesday, December 17th, 2024.

This heartwarming news is only made possible by the incredible generosity and love shown by everyone involved.

So amazingly, it’s a giant Goals Achieved! Again, we’d like to direct those reading to the more detailed update below so you can be better informed on how it all occurred. As it turns out, friendship, combined with outstanding/phenomenal support, and some truly benevolent, selfless souls in this world can and do truly save lives.

The total goal we have now set, considering that Phase 1 + 2 of our 3 phased goal has been reached, reflects the remaining extraneous cost quotes detailed to us by his oncologist, urologist and radiation therapy specialists, which will extend beyond this chemo/immunotherapy and the radiation stage 2 that follows. Phase 3 specifically and inevitably involves either a bladder removal surgery, or the continuation/reapplication of very costly, longer term radiation therapy treatment. One of these options is an absolute certainty, the choice will depend on his updated prognosis once these initial treatments have been completed and he’s retested. These looming future costs will undoubtedly require more than we have acquired from this amazing GoFundMe campaign’s already massive successes.

Our phase 3 goal will now be set at USD 53,500.00 (CAD 76,000.00). Again, please take the time to read our latest update, as it explains in great detail how and why we arrived at this figure. If we can achieve that last remaining goal within the time frame of his current treatments’ completion, the campaign page will remain up for further donations until it reaches a cap of USD100,000.00, and then this campaign will be archived and we can all rest assured that our friend and dear soul is being treated properly, with no more looming financial catastrophes to hinder his ability to be prepared for any eventuality.

As mentioned, any extra funds collected beyond our overage limit can quickly become crucial. Essentially, our additional support will be used as a contingency/insurance measure for costs that may exceed the estimates provided for Harley’s phase 3, longer-term treatments. Non-Singaporean citizens know that large overages and 'cost-above-quotes' are likely to occur at various points during the entire treatment plan. By maintaining this campaign until our hard limit is reached, we hope to avoid depleting the gracious donations we’ve already received, which could quickly diminish and hinder Harley's financial preparedness for the next stage of his necessary treatment. We aim to avoid putting this campaign on the back foot and prevent Harley and his family from facing further financial crises.

We are deeply grateful for your support. Thankfully, the timing of donations is now more flexible, so for those generous donors who have already given and wish to continue contributing, your continued commitment and love would be an invaluable blessing to our cause.

The bottom line is that we are achieving incredible successes by coming together to support our talented friend and colleague in his battle against a rare and aggressive cancer with the best available treatments. We cannot emphasize enough how invaluable the contributions to this campaign have been for Harley and Gen on so many levels. Together, we can continue to make a profound difference in addressing Harley's future medical challenges. By combining our hopes and prayers with any extra funds we donate to his cause, we might realistically see Harley outlive his prognosis by decades. This will not only be due to our compassionate donations but also because, as those of us who know Harley are well aware, he is fighting this battle with immense determination and resilience, refusing to let it defeat him.

We deeply appreciate your continued generosity, compassion, and solidarity.

With heartfelt gratitude,

John Michael Whynot, Harley Warren (Umphrey), Christo Alexander, Myra Vaughn, Genevieve Monteiro.

Contact us anytime through our GoFundMe email, and we will be posting regular updates on events, fundraising auctions, bake sales, group walks, picnics, etc...