Life-Saving Cancer Treatment for John Alan Turner

TL/DR: Cancer sucks, this is our shot, it’s stupid expensive, we’re doing this together, let’s go!

We are launching this GoFundMe on behalf of our beloved friend, John Alan Turner (with his permission). We know that John is a man of many talents and who fills an extraordinary number of roles in people's lives that make them undeniably better. He is a father, friend, mentor, coach, board member, consultant, leader, host, fundraiser, philanthropist, and advocate for the arts, for the left out and the left behind, and for the betterment of the world around us.

John has a very rare form of bone cancer known as chordoma. This is John's second bout with this reality. In 2018, John underwent a resection and spinal fusion at L4-L5-S1, and continued to regularly monitor any developments.

Earlier this year John's doctors found a recurrence of the cancer. Since the diagnosis of the recurrence he has undergone 80 rounds of proton beam radiation therapy. The tumor shrunk a bit (to approximately 3cm) due to the radiation. However, it has invaded the neurovascular bundle at the base of his spine.

The damage that would be done to the nerve and vascular bundle by surgery would result in either: (1) bleeding out during surgery, (2) loss of bladder/bowel control, and/or (3) paralysis below the waist.

Therefore, John's medical team has determined that the surgical procedure is not possible and therefore designated as inoperable.

John and his medical team have checked into alternative treatments (like stem cell therapy) and clinical trials. The stem cell doctors have said that John is not a good candidate because there is no track record of stem cell therapy helping chordoma patients.

He has been waitlisted for a clinical trial at Johns Hopkins, but they said it might be two years before he could begin, and there is still then a chance that he might be placed into the placebo group.

The only remaining option then is a clinic in Austin, TX, that is experimenting with a new form of immunotherapy.

Here is the description of the treatment from the lab:

Tumor Lysate Particle Only (TLPO) vaccine and Tumor Lysate Particle Loaded Dendritic Cell (TLPLDC) vaccines, autologous therapeutic cancer injections and infusions, are designed to stimulate the immune system to recognize tumor cells and fight a patient’s specific cancer. Therapeutic cancer vaccines are an attractive immunotherapy because of their potential safety, specificity, and long-lasting response due to stimulation of immune memory.

The eighteen-month vaccination regimen, which delivers the patient’s own unique blend of tumor antigens to the immune system, ignites a dual innate and adaptive immune response, activating fighter T-cells, and triggering the immune system to recognize, and seek out and destroy any cells containing the antigens from their tumor.

Translation: They will use the tumor to make a one-of-a-kind immunotherapy to enable John's immune system to fight the cancer directly.

However, the cost of this treatment is $93,000, and, because it’s entirely experimental, John's insurance will not cover any of this expense. They have offered the following financing option that would enable John to begin treatment:

The initial appointment cannot be scheduled until the initial deposit is secured, but they can see John almost immediately once that deposit is made.

All funds raised here will be directed to John's treatments and the financing plan that is required to begin this last-chance, one-of-a-kind therapeutic intervention.

We will post here regularly with updates and information as it is available.

Thank you for your love for John and any help you can offer financially during this difficult and uncertain time.