Support Joe's Fight Against MDS

Hi everyone! Thanks for taking a moment to read about our parent’s story.

In 2019 our dad was diagnosed with Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia. After receiving chemotherapy, he went into remission in 2020. Dad retired and started living the good life. His days were fulfilled with his hobbies of hiking, fishing, and hunting, traveling with our mom, watching his grandkids, spending time with his family and friends. That’s what retirement years are meant to be, however this all took a turn early this year.

We are heartbroken to share that our beloved father has been diagnosed with High Risk Myelodysplastic Syndrome (MDS), a devastating form of blood cancer caused from the chemotherapy he received from his Lymphoma treatment. This has turned our family’s world upside down. This cruel disease affects his bone marrow and blood cell production. His doctors have him on a rigorous treatment plan including chemotherapy, blood transfusions and on April 9th he will be admitted to Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston for a stem cell transplant scheduled for 4/15/25. Thankfully, Katie is a match and will be going through the process of donating her stem cells to our dad. Katie’s stem cells will be infused into Dad’s bloodstream, where they will travel to the bone marrow and the hope is that they will start to produce healthy blood cells.

During this critical time, our mom will need to be by his side as he navigates this difficult journey. Unfortunately, this means she will have to take an extended time off from work, and our parents will need to relocate to Boston for several months for the transplant and our dad’s recovery.

This journey is filled with hope but also comes with overwhelming unexpected expenses, including:

• Travel, lodging, and living costs in Boston for several months (while also maintaining costs for their home in Springfield)

• Mom’s lost income during Dad’s treatment and recovery

• Other supportive services deemed necessary by Dad’s medical team

• Emergency medical costs that may arise during the treatment process

• Any other necessary expenses to support our dad’s recovery

Cancer is a dreadful disease, but we refuse to give up without a fight! Your support, love, and prayers will make this fight possible! While Dad cannot accept visitors right now or during recovery from his stem cell transplant, there are other ways to support our parents:

• Sharing this Campaign and spreading MDS awareness

• Sending Cards, Letters, Care Packages- please reach out to Katie or Kara for home address

• Sending a Text- please reach out to Katie or Kara for Beth and Joe’s phone numbers (we respectfully request no calls at this time so Dad can rest undisturbed as much as possible)

• Offering Prayers

Please consider donating and sharing this campaign with your network. Your support, whether through a contribution or simply by spreading the word, means the world to our family. Our parents have a long road ahead, but we are hopeful that with Dad’s amazing medical team and with your support, we can do this.

His fight is our fight.

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts ❤️

Joe’s Daughters,

Katie and Kara