Help John get through his bone marrow transplant

Here is John's story in his own words:

Asking for help like this is the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do.

Last spring, I was diagnosed with a relatively rare incurable blood cancer called Light Chain Multiple Myeloma, in addition to an even more rare and very serious complication called Amyloidosis (affecting only 12 in 1 million people). The oncologist was very matter of fact when they said “You will die in a year without treatment. With treatment, you’ll get longer, but there is no cure.” It was the heaviest news to take and my mind went right to Dana and our son (my “little fellow”), who shows me so much love every day. That I might not get to watch him grow up is the hardest thing to imagine.

I’ve been approved for a bone marrow transplant. It won’t cure me, but it will buy me the most time before the first relapse, which could mean up to 5 years before needing further treatment. The sacrifice though is that my immune system will be completely deleted and rebuilt from scratch. I’ll be at severe risk of life-threatening infections for up to a year and, due to my particular vocation (travel, gigging, large crowds), my ability to work will be very limited. I managed to line up a recording project between now and my transplant, and it will leave me some editing work to keep busy with during recovery once I'm well enough. But without gig and tour income, and without being visible to keep the work coming in, it just wont be enough to sustain me and my family.

I’m the guy who does it all on his own, just like I learned guitar on my own as a kid and forged my path through the music biz. I was lucky enough to find a few great mentors along the way, but mostly, I’ve been the guy that people come to. I don’t know how to be this guy who reaches out, but I obviously have to do everything I can for my family at this point.

So I’m here asking for help to get through the coming year. I am facing a major loss of income on top of treatment related expenses, on top of the debt I’ve already incurred due to the delay in my diagnosis. For over a year, I was increasingly unwell, unable to go out and network to bring in new work, and I had to turn down many gigs that I knew would be too physically painful. While the doctors were still shrugging their shoulders, I was desperate for relief and went to naturopaths for expensive therapies. Now that I’m on chemo, I’m missing even more work due to the regimen I have to follow, and I’ve been paying out of pocket for the medications that boost the effectiveness of my treatment, as well as all prescriptions for pain relief and side effects.

Moving forward, my transplant is scheduled for the end of January 2024 and for up to 8 weeks, I’ll be required to live in quarantine 24/7 with a caregiver as close as possible to the Vancouver hospital. It’s outpatient care, so I’ll have to pay for accommodation and all other living costs in Vancouver during this time. When I’m cleared to return home, I’ll need my own space in the house to continue to quarantine for several months to avoid exposure since our son goes to elementary school and Dana works in numerous community centres. I’ve had to add a kitchenette in my basement so I can be self-sufficient and that was met with the typical snags as you can imagine.

Dana has been mainly focused on our child over the years and she quit her part-time job a couple years ago so we could move to the island. Thankfully, she’s got her foot firmly in the door with a new job but she's still in the waiting game to get full-time and benefits.

Anybody in the music business knows how competitive it can be. You have to stay on the scene to maintain your position in your network. The idea that I could be out of the game for this much longer is impossible for me to think about. I’ve been told I can bounce back for a few years at a time between relapses. I want to get this transplant, fight hard to get well, and get back to what I do - playing and producing records. With the great relationships I’ve been lucky enough to build, I’ve got people counting on me, and tons more music still to make.

Beyond all that though, I want to shed this constant struggle and the stress that cancer brings. I want to get my energy back and be here for my kid. I want to play with him, hang out and get to know him as he grows, and guide him in life.

I appreciate anything you can do to help me and my family get through the difficult year ahead. Love to you all.

~ John

Donations will go to:

Accommodation during the transplant period, all supportive medications, and household living expenses such as groceries, housing, utilities, child expenses and incidentals over the coming year.

GoFundMe Video:

If you would like to take a short journey into Johnny's world, this video is for you, but heed this warning: if you are not in the mood to experience salty eye discharge, do not proceed. Viewer discretion is advised.

More Info & Please Share

Look in the update section below for information Dana and John will be posting about his cancer, treatments and updates on the journey. If you can take a second to share a link to this GoFundMe page, that would be really helpful. Consider also leaving some words of support below as love is the best medicine.