Paul's fight with Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma

My name is Paul Bailey. Nearly 6 years ago my body started showing symptoms of a medical issue. Unfortunately it took my doctors 4 years to determine a proper diagnosis. In December of 2021 I was diagnosed with an extremely rare (1 in a million) form of Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma, also known as Cutaneous T Cell Lymphoma, or Mycosis Fungoides. Unfortunately, there is no current cure for Mycosis Fungoides. The 5 year survival rate for Mycosis Fungoides is only 20-60%. I consider myself lucky, as I've had symptoms for nearly 6 years.

I went through over 150 UVB Phototherapy Treatments and other appointments regarding my treatment in the first half of 2022. These treatments were not effective.

In August of 2022 I was terminated from my job for being unable to keep up with my college classes while I was dealing with my treatments. The following month I went through full body radiation treatments. Usually the radiation treatments will keep your symptoms away for 12 to 14 months. Sadly, most of my symptoms returned in only a few weeks.

After recovering from my radiation treatments, I started a new job in October of 2022. At the end of my probationary period I was let go - again for missing work due to multiple doctor's appointments, even though I informed them during the interview process of my cancer and got approval for all missed time. I have been unemployed since January of 2023.

My health has progressively gotten worse in the last 7 months. Most days I feel horrible. When I'm not taking Prednisone to suppress my immune system, my skin itches constantly, it burns and peels, and starts to develop patches of plaque all over it. Eventually I will need a Bone Marrow Transplant or Stem Cell Transplant.

I've recently applied for Social Security Disability, but that process takes months. My retirement accounts are all gone, what little savings I had are also gone. I've sold most of my possessions. I ran out of Unemployment last week. I have upwards of $40,000 in medical bills I can't pay. Cancer has truly ruined my life.

Any donations will be used for my medical expenses and basics of simply surviving.

Thank you for taking the time to read my story. I appreciate you all.