Official Fundraiser for Don Dugas!

It is with great compassion that I utilize the forum that gofundme has provided us to make a difference in the hardship that life has presented to those we most love and cherish.

Don Dugas, Journeyman Millwright Specialist, father, grandfather, devoted christian, above and beyond neighbor, loyal friend and fellow official, has fallen on health challenges that have not only forced him into partial professional disability, but extreme medical debt due to a life threatening illness and prognosis.

As a result, he spends every minute of every day in buckling pain and maintains a 7 contest per week officiating schedule all while weakened from extreme weight loss and the roller coaster of the unknown. All of that including medical professionals who are baffled while trying to find the cause of Don's chronic pancreatitis.

As he weighs the expense of each procedure, he cherry picks those procedures that he can go without in anticipation of more pending in his near future. As the inevitable MRI's, biopsies, ER visits, prescriptions and hospitalizations ensue, Don fears he will be put in a terminal category both financially and medically.

Don's lifetime commitment to a healthy lifestyle and selfless service to our basketball, volleyball and baseball communities puts him in a perplexing medical classification. One that leaves his team of physicians scratching their heads asking; WHY is this non drinker, non smoker, physically fit individual presenting with severe pancreatitis symptoms?

At this point, he is told that for whatever reason, he's acquired chronic pancreatitis, a disease that for all intents and purposes, has no cure but for the human body to begin the healing process on its own.

Prescribing the few medications to alleviate the chronic pain is even limited to Ibuprofen, Miralax and Oxycodone, which Don only takes sparingly if he has gone multiple nights with no sleep due to the pain.

His doctors have also told him that due to the anorexia, he MUST force food consumption to encourage the nourishment necessary for healing.

You can only imagine how elated we were to hear that the prognosis did not result in terminal pancreatic cancer! And for this we are much grateful! However, as this financial spiral continues, we find our friend living each day in fear of the insurmountable medical expenses incurred as a result of his health plight that exceeds $50,000, thus far.

As per Don's humble request, a few of us are asking for your assistance, but not to the extent of infringing on your financial stability, to utilize this forum to provide financial relief for Don.

Your donation will go SOLEY to Don's medical expenses and will in no way be allocated for frivolous expenditures. I think we all know first hand, Don's frugal spending practices and integrity with regards to his budgeting. And he has divulged the exact estimate of his medical bills past, present and future.

Thank you for anything that you are able to do to give our cherished community member the respite he needs to continue on his long road to a verbose and purposeful life of service, again-FREE of DIS-EASE!

Thank you and Lets Play-On, Together!