Help Uncle Mike FIGHT for His Life

URGENT UPDATE - Earn up to $10,000 if you're a match!

We are looking for a stem cell donor match for my uncle Mike McKeever. His brother and his two sons are not a full match. His sons are a 50% match, but we need a donor with matching HLA markers of a 10/10 match with Uncle Mike's protein tissue. The donor bank does not have a match for Uncle Mike; therefore, we're offering a reward up to $10,000 to the matching donor that is chosen by the John Theurer Cancer center in Hackensack, NJ. You will receive $5,000 cash upfront before the transplant (details of what that entails below) and $5,000 cash one year after the transplant is confirmed successful. IF YOU ARE A MATCH FOR THE DONOR TRANSPLANT, YOU GET $5,000. If the transplant is successful you receive $10,000 cash!

What it Takes to Be Tested:
The testing kit will be mailed to your house, all you have to do is swab your cheek and mail it back for matching the first 6 HLA markers… it's very simple!
Your Name (as on your driver's license), Phone Number, Address & Date of Birth must be provided to me at [email redacted]. Your information will be sent to the Cancer Center, and they will send you the kit along with the bill for the kit which is $150.

What it Takes to Be the Donor:
If you are chosen for the transplant, you will travel to New Jersey for one full week. ALL EXPENSES WILL BE COVERED. Your airfare, hotel, hospital expenses, food, literally everything. You will not pay a dime for any part of this transplant process AND you will receive $5,000 cash. You can bring one person with you for the process as well.

The donation procedure is not a surgery; it is just performed through IVs. They inject you a few days before the transplant to get your stem cells ready to harvest, then they run one IV in one arm to remove your blood and harvest the stem cells, then they run another IV in your other arm to put your own blood back in you all in one day. We have more information on this donation process. If you are interested, please email [email redacted].

Any and all questions are welcome, but the point of the matter is - WE'VE GOT TO ACT FAST.

If Interested, Please Send:
Your Name (as listed on your driver's license) Phone Number, Address & Date of Birth must be provided to [email redacted].

Confirmation that if you are selected to receive a kit by the cancer center, you will pay the $150 kit fee.

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[Important Update: Mike is moving straight to the donor stem cell transplant and is in need of a donor. We are testing within our family, but we've had many people inquire about getting tested too. Please click above on the updates page to get the full information.] 

My uncle, Mike McKeever, was recently diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma Stage III  (cancer is most advanced) High Risk, a very rare cancer that accounts for only 1.5% of all cancers. There is no known cause and there is no cure.

Quick Synopsis: 
- Mike’s entire upper body has tumors and bone damage with another tumor in his skull.
- He is currently undergoing chemo treatments in Omaha, Nebraska to prepare for his first Stem Cell Transplant.
- He has had to close down his auto-transport business.
- The median time of survival at his stage and condition is 1-3 years. 
- Mike just found out he is going to be a grandfather for the first time in January! 
- Mike is doing everything above and beyond to be here for many more years to come!
- The money will support his 2 stem cell transplants and medical travels to New Jersey where he will be for 4 months. 
- His insurance will not cover the kind of stem cell transplant he needs if a relative is not a match. 

(Read the full story below!) 

What is Multiple Myeloma:
Multiple Myeloma is a type of blood cancer. The disease affects plasma cells.  Plasma cells are a type of white blood cell, an integral part of the body’s defense system that produces antibodies to help fight and control infections.  Plasma blood cells are produced from the stem cells in the spongy tissue in the interior of bones (bone marrow). Some stem cells develop into white blood cells that in turn become plasma cells. In normal cell production, plasma cells are present in small amounts.  In people with myeloma, however, plasma cells grow at an abnormal rate.  The extra cells serve no purpose and are called myeloma cells. They restrict and impair the production of healthy blood cells in the bone marrow. Myeloma cells can lead to a decrease of white blood cell production and the inability of the body to defend itself against infections. Myeloma cells also prevent the production of red blood cells that carry oxygen through the body. Aside from affecting other blood cells, myeloma cells can hurt the kidneys and destroy healthy bones.


Mike's Specific Case:
Mike has a chromosome 17 deletion and p53 gene mutation. This can never be reversed and his own body cannot fight the mass producing of the plasma blood cells that is preventing his white blood cells from utilizing the antibodies that help fight and protect his immune system.  Mike’s entire upper body has tumors and bone damage with another tumor in his skull. Mike is currently undergoing chemo treatments and steroid treatments in Omaha, Nebraska before his first Stem Cell Transplant. 


Mike's Business:
Mike has poured his heart and soul into his nationwide auto-transport company, Road Warriors , in Omaha, Nebraska (a Veteran-Owned Business)... but after getting the news of his condition, he closed down his two companies on July 15, 2016 to prepare for the fight of his life! He is in the process of trying to sell his equipment and has partially opened up his Auto-Brokerage Business, while closing his Carrier Business, and only doing 5% of his normal revenue in trying to support some of his equipment payments until he can sell them, along with commitments for rent, utilities, phone lines, fax lines, internet, IT support, software support, and etc.

This is why we need your help! 

Mike's Current Treatment Plan:
As you can guess, we are running against the clock to buy my Uncle Mike time! Mike just met with Dr. David Siegel, in Hackensack, NJ, one of the top doctors internationally in multiple myeloma and was given two options. He can either do back to back stem cell transplants using his own stem cells after 4 rounds of chemo and steroids in hopes of buying time for a miracle drug that is found from clinical trials and testing of new potential drugs. The median time of survival at his stage and condition is 1-3 years; very few make it 5 years and a 0% chance of 10 years.

He also has the option of the first stem cell transplant utilizing his own stem cells and the second transplant coming from a donor, if he is fortunate to locate a donor that matches his protein tissue type.  The best option is a blood relative.  Mike has one brother, Mark McKeever, my father who has a 75% chance of being a donor.  Mike also has two sons Dylan and Myles 35 and 33 years-old who could have a 25-50% chance of a match with his protein tissue. 

The only other option is an outside donor, if the insurance will pay for it and if they can locate a donor that matches his protein tissue. At this stage, there are too many hurdles to clear to even consider testing for a donor transplant.  The risk of a donor transplant is very high because 40% do not make it, as they either die from the heavy chemo dosages required, or they become very sick and bedridden for months and years before they die from the rejection of the donor’s stem cells.  Mike has chosen the donor transplant, where his surgery would be in Hackensack, NJ at the John Theurer Cancer Center where they do more donor transplants than anywhere in the world. 

Dr. Siegel informed Mike a “successful” donor transplant can have Mike living into his 80’s in complete remission. This is a rare transplant as they only do 30 donor transplants per year.  Mike’s doctors, Dr. Stefano Tarantolo in Omaha and Dr. David Siegel feel they have the best surgeon in the world to perform the donor transplant  at the John Theurer Cancer Center in Hackensack, NJ.  Our entire McKeever family is pleased that Mike’s doctors are working together for what provides Mike the best options, care and chances.

Why Mike Deserves Your Support:
Mike has the power of positivity and is fighting this with a warrior spirit I've never before witnessed in my life. Mike has made his health a priority for the last 39 years by working out with weights, cardio and his life-changing diets with many supplements. He is working his way back toward his 7 miles on his elliptical in doing 100 miles per month. He is up to 4 miles on his elliptical now and working out with his pulley weights machine 6 days a week. He takes his nutrition very seriously (juicing multiple times a day with turmeric, ginger, flax seed oil, and ground black pepper) and studies every natural and herbal remedy available. He is training for dry needle acupuncture and I'm sure he has many other ideas up his sleeve! He's taking a multi-pronged approach to heal his body, mind and spirit. So many people would hear they only have a short time to live and give up, but Mike is doing everything above and beyond to be here for many more years to come!


My Uncle Mike has worked incredibly hard his entire life, and as the patriarch of our McKeever family we are not going to let him fight this alone! To work so hard your entire life, and have to shut down your business before you can return a profit and receive your retirement is just heartbreaking, and it kills me to see a man who has given his all only to be hit with such devastating news. 

We need your help.
Please donate $5, $10, $20 or more. Every single dollar will help Mike take on the medical bills, bills from closing his business, and upcoming traveling expenses to New Jersey. He will need to stay in New Jersey for at least 100 days during a “successful” Donor Stem Cell Transplant. The first month will be in the hospital, and the following will be outpatient care. He will need to get an apartment as an out-patient and have a caretaker rather than spending 100 days in the hospital. His wife Diane, works for our local public utility company and she is still two and a half years away from partial retirement, not even full. She won't be able to take off work as much, because her company is undergoing a lot of changes and layoffs. We don't know what's in store for the future at her company, and if anything were to happen to her position, Mike would then be without health insurance. Even with health insurance his expenses and bills are overwhelming in his travels and stay in NJ. Most insurance companies will not pay for a donor transplant unless it is a blood relative donor. Mike is looking into this now.

What your donation will go to:
Basically, I've set our goal to $100,000 because they're going to need to rely on Diane's health insurance to cover the chemo treatments, 2 stem cell transplants, if their insurance pays for an outside donor if one can be found, and a month's long stay in the hospital in New Jersey. Then, Mike will need an apartment in New Jersey for 3 months, a caretaker, and all of the travel expenses and flights back and forth from Omaha to New Jersey for Diane and their family. This money is solely going to Mike and Diane to first help with their medical bills and travel expenses which are already piling up, as you know that insurance doesn't cover everything. Mike also qualifies for a clinical trial where he would fly from Omaha, NE to Hackensack, NJ every two weeks for four months for treatments and would require two nights in a motel each stay. His insurance will not pay for the clinical trial.


Help Mike WIN this Fight! 
The stress of closing down his business, which was going to be his retirement and fighting for his life still hasn't stopped him! We are trying to be proactive and do everything we can to help him get through this and buy the time he needs to test future treatments. The entire McKeever family can't thank you enough for your donations, and even if you aren't able to donate money to his medical fund, I ask that you please pray for him and send him all of the support and love you can in your thoughts and prayers!

God Bless, 
Shaley McKeever