Make Music - Not Cancer

The physical and emotional costs of cancer are already greater than any family should ever bear - and though we try to provide as much support as we possibly can, those of us outside the immediate family are often limited by distance and a patient's comfort level being assisted during one of the most difficult and dignity-stripping times of their life - something we can all sympathize with.

When Kevin was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma, his family's world was turned upside down. At first, Kevin, though in a lot of pain, was able to complete his first R-CHOP chemo cocktail and initial results were very promising. Kevin was able to recover at home while Amy balanced work and kids with support from family and her neighborhood tribe.

Almost a month later, when Kevin was gearing up for chemo treatment number two, he experienced a life-threatening complication and was rushed into emergency surgery, only hours away from death. Blessedly, the surgery to repair damage caused by his tumor was successful - unfortunately, his cancer was revealed to be the much more rare and aggressive Burkitt's Lymphoma.

Amy, with the support of family, has been by his side and doing her best to keep the kids' lives as normal as possible. The physical and emotional costs of this cancer are a price none of us can fathom. That being said, we all know the price of gas, utilities, groceries, and everything our paychecks do to keep us functioning from day to day. Insurance is covering what it can of the medical bills, but we all know what kind of impact missing work would have on our wallets. We all plan and save, knowing that if we have to be out for a medical procedure or family emergency, we'll need some padding to get through until we can return to work.

Kevin and Amy are both state employees. And it's no secret that teachers do not have stellar compensation or benefits. Thankfully, Amy and Kevin have both paid extra for short-term and long-term disability coverage, but that only means they get SOME of their pay.

Few of us can pick the kids up from school for them, cook their meals, do their laundry, get their groceries, or stay at the hospital with Kevin. But this doesn't mean we can't make a meaningful contribution. We can ALL help to ease their burden. We can all contribute something so that Kevin can focus on fighting this BL beast and Amy can be there to be his coach and cheerleader and the incredible mother she is.

I'm not going to say that casseroles aren't helpful for families experiencing medical crises, but CASH can provide the kind of support that allows them to support themselves during this impossible time.

Kevin will soon be traveling to Wake Forest to endure some of the nastiest and most aggressive chemo available and they are going to need all the help we can give. I've set the goal amount at $10,000, but we all know there is no real amount you can assign to their suffering. Please share whatever support you can with our love and gratitude.