Terry Patten Wellness Support Fund

Dear Friends,

Thank you for visiting this page. We are sad to write that at this time, we are no longer taking donations, as Terry is now in hospice care and likely in the final days of his life.

We are immensely grateful for all of your donations to this fund. The $50,000 we raised made a big difference for Terry over these past months, enabling him to access many alternative treatments that would have otherwise been out of reach. And although none of his conventional or complementary treatments was ultimately able to eradicate his cancer, we have no doubt that they brought him more comfort and gave him strength to keep stretching to find a cure.

Our original post describing the intentions of this fundraiser is included below for posterity.  

Please join us in sending Terry love and grace in his transition.

With Love,

Craig Hamilton and Claire Zammit

ORIGINAL FUNDRAISER DESCRIPTION BELOW:


As you know, our mutual dear friend, colleague, and mentor Terry Patten is facing a life-threatening cancer diagnosis. 

Despite this unexpected and alarming turn of events, Terry is in good spirits and good hands. He is navigating the complexities of the medical system with the help of trusted friends and expert patient advocates to ensure he has access to the best and most targeted treatments available.

In addition to working with expert oncologists, he has sought help from top specialists in alternative and complementary cancer treatment who have helped people with similar diagnoses extend the quality and length of their lives.

So although his oncologists gave him an initial prognosis of one to three years, he is still hopeful that he may have a chance of beating the odds and potentially spending many more years with us, particularly if he can take advantage of more advanced diagnostic tests and treatments from renowned specialists in both allopathic and complementary cancer care.

His insurance will cover the most widely-accepted allopathic approaches. But in order to take advantage of the potentially game-changing advanced scientific and complementary treatments available to him, Terry will need to come up with a significant amount of money out of pocket.

These costs include:

- costly off-label immunotherapy drugs his doctors recommend now that front-line chemotherapy did not show the results we anticipated 

- The most advanced diagnostic tests that are expensive and not yet covered by insurance
 
- travel to a renowned sarcoma oncologist in Santa Monica

 - immunoprofiling and live-cell chemosensitivity testing to identify the most effective treatments

- complementary/alternative therapeutic interventions, such as apheresis (to filter inflammatory cancer byproducts from his bloodstream), vitamin C IV infusions (for immune support), acupuncture, bodywork, supplements, energy healing, and other modalities to enhance Terry’s quality of life

The emerging landscape of exactly how much his self-funded treatments will cost is still becoming clear. But we estimate he could need $10,000/month or more for the next couple of years.

Because we love Terry, and we wish for him to get the benefit of the best care without additional financial stress, we created this GoFundMe campaign. We know that countless people have been blessed by Terry’s work, and that his many friends, colleagues, comrades, and students will welcome the opportunity to support this amazing being who has given so much to all of us and to this world.

Our initial fundraising goal is $100,000 to cover costs at least through the end of this year. We invite you to give what you can now to help get his first phase of treatment off the ground. And, if you’re willing, please consider a monthly gift, as this is quite likely to be a journey that will extend into next year, and beyond.

Your donation will be transferred directly into a dedicated bank account that Terry will draw from to cover his medical costs. In the event the journey is shorter than we all hope and pray, any unallocated funds will be dedicated to benefit the work of Terry’s nonprofit, A New Republic of the Heart. Or returned, if you request it.

If you’ve been following his CaringBridge site or listening to his podcasts, you know that Terry is meeting this unexpected life change with an extraordinarily big heart and all the profound wisdom of his lifelong spiritual practice. As he has done in so many ways throughout his life, Terry is continuing to show us all what it means to meet each new moment, whatever it brings, with an awakened heart and undaunted spirit.

Thank you for your support!

Warmly,
Craig Hamilton and Claire Zammit