Help Retired Officer Andy Mickus Beat Cancer

The words you never want to hear: "It's cancer."

They were the words Andy Mickus wasn’t expecting to hear, either. He hadn't been feeling well for a few months, but figured it was just a lingering cold or flu. He went to the doctor after losing a few pounds and still felt he was battling a bug. They ordered some bloodwork and sent him home. He wasn’t getting better.

Lisa, Andy’s wife, said enough was enough, and made him get in the car and brought him to Mayo in Rochester, where the doctors ordered a PET-CT scan and quickly discovered it wasn’t just a bug. Andy was diagnosed with an aggressive form of lymphoma, Diffuse Large B-cell (DLBCL). It’s a cancer that typically responds well to chemotherapy, which Andy received immediately. Unfortunately, after several rounds of chemo, Andy’s oncology team realized Andy was among the small percentage of people whose lymphoma wasn’t responding to the treatment.

The good news is there’s a plan B.

Andy needs CAR T-cell therapy, which uses cells from Andy’s immune system to provide treatment. This will not be an easy road for Andy. He will need to be in Rochester for 5 weeks after the initial infusion therapy. Lisa will need to stay with him 24 hours a day to monitor him. This treatment is critical for shrinking the cancer and prevent it from spreading further.

As you can imagine, this is financially difficult. Andy recently retired as a Lieutenant from the Duluth Police Department, where he served for 26 years. Although Andy and Lisa have health insurance, it doesn’t cover the cost of everything. There are still medical bills and travel expenses, especially since neither Andy nor Lisa are able to work during the treatment.

Andy is a fighter, and he can overcome this. But he’s facing the toughest battle of his life, and he needs your support. He has brought so much to his family, his community, and his friends in his 52 years. Any donation will go directly toward Andy’s medical and travel expenses to Rochester. Every dollar counts and will make a significant difference. Please help Andy and Lisa and their 3 kids Emma (21), Lily (18), and Jack (16) look toward a brighter future so they don’t have to stress about the bills today. Let’s help Andy get better so he can get back to being an amazing dad, husband, and friend, get back to the hunting and fishing he loves, and we can all celebrate with him once he recovers and beats this.