The Dunn Family

As many of you are aware Dru has been experiencing major issues with back pain. The doctor’s original evaluation with x-rays showed the probable cause of his pain to be due to compression fractures of his thoracic spine. Closer look at the x-rays also suggested Dru may have osteoporosis. Compression fractures and osteoporosis in someone as young as Dru are unusual, especially for somebody working as a firefighter and chasing around three kids. Dru was referred for a more comprehensive evaluation by medical specialists. The specialists identified some significant abnormalities in Dru’s bloodwork. Due to the worrisome nature of this blood work Dru went to the Northside Hospital in Sandy Springs to see a hematologist or blood specialist. Additional tests were done and it was discovered that Dru had a blood condition called multiple myeloma. He was immediately hospitalized for additional testing. In addition to confirming this diagnosis of myeloma the doctors identified that Drew’s compression fractures were also caused by this blood disease. For those that don’t know multiple myeloma is a type of blood cancer. It develops when plasma cells in the bone marrow are overproduced. These excess plasma cells can form large collections in the body’s organs such as kidneys and bones and lead to medical issues. That’s the bad news. The good news is that there are many medical therapies available to treat multiple myeloma. Some of these include chemotherapy and bone marrow transplants. But there are other therapies available including immunotherapy and cellular therapy with a treatment called CAR-T. The specific treatment that will be used for Dru will depend on the results of all his tests, some of which the results have not returned back yet.

Without a doubt, the family has a fight ahead of them but Dru has always said himself that he likes a good fight. Anyone that knows Dru knows that he is always the first to help when needed and finds himself to be the life of the party more times than not. Dru not only is the first to lend a helping he hand but he also has served and protected us with his service through Cobb County Fire Department where he has worked for the last 19 years. His wife, Sarah, also serves this community as a NICU nurse. They both truly are community servants and amazing people with three wonderful children.

We know that the Dunns are beloved by many and many have reached out wanting to help. So let’s help the Dunn’s fight through this battle and know they are not alone. We are setting up this Go Fund me to anyone that would like to donate. Accepting all prayers, please donate if you feel led.

** If you know Dru’s dad, the family has asked that you not say anything to him while he is finishing his own radiation treatments.**