My always giving wife was diagnosed with Lymphoma.

Who is this for?

My wife Kristen, who began to rapidly feel weaker and weaker in September of 2018. We thought it was just fatigue from the two and a half jobs she was working, alongside the three I am working. But on the morning of the Sunday following Thanksgiving... she fell. I was unable to help her stand for 30 minutes as I held her, her crying out, and me on the verge of tears myself because I felt helpless.

I rushed her to the hospital as soon as she could stand with the help of the walker that I found at a resale shop a few weeks prior. There she was immediately admitted, and was held for observation. We found out the next day that a mass had been growing on her spine and was causing the weakness she was experiencing. It was pushing her spine into a V and giving her the tingling sensations that she was experiencing from her stomach down to her toes.

Surgery was then scheduled a week later and they removed the mass from the dura of her spine. It was described to me about the size of a children's letter block. They couldn't remove it all though as it had started to affect her nerves in her back as well, and both radiation and chemo were recommended, and that is where we were left throughout Christmas of 2018, while they did biopsy after biopsy with no conclusive answers on exactly what definitive type of cancer that it was.

Late January came (as well as a new year and a new yearly insurance deductible) and she was finally informed that it was Follicular Lymphoma, a cancer that normally does not affect people at my wife's age. Being the art minded shirt designer, she immediately made this for a couple of shirts her sisters and friend wanted to wear for support:

Kristi is not only one of the most giving people I know, she also designs shirts for woot! And this design was based off of her "Red Shirt" designs, but of course, it is blue, for the medical field!

Why now?

The reason that we are making this Go Fund Me is because with the loss of wages from Kristi's second job, the loss of time I have to work my third job, and unexpected medical costs, the deductibles have been a major burden upon us. We had just recently found a perfect balance of our budget as well! We were ready to be able to tackle our student loans, and our debts, but the cancer set that back. 

What is her status now?

Kristi had radiation treatment Monday through Friday for almost 6 weeks, starting late January, and ending the day after her birthday. She was looking forward to turning 37, as it is our lucky number. And while we are grateful that we caught this when we did and that she is still with us, 37 hasn't been much fun for her. She started chemo shortly after radiation finished, and is undergoing those treatments. As of the time I am writing this, the hair loss started a week and a half ago, to which I helped her shave her head (and she told me that she would make me sleep on the couch if I even thought of shaving mine because I look weird with ultra short hair).


What kind of person is Kristi?

This is where I talk about her and make a sappy plea, I guess. I promise you though, all of this is from my heart. My wife is my rock, she is my "Player 2" in the video game that we share together, she is the person that drives me to be better every single day. Day in, and day out she will find a way to help make myself better. She works for a charity and has moved up with the non-profit ever since we moved to where we are now.  She spends her days in the service of others even if she won't admit it. She is one of the brightest minds I know and sometimes even pushes herself too hard because she knows her mind is capable of so much, even though her body is fighting her on it right now.

I wouldn't be the person that I am today without her, I can tell you that for sure, and I want her to feel the love for herself that she has for others. I am hoping this will achieve that goal.

What if I exceed the initial goal?

So, I am not counting my chickens before they hatch, but I will tell you that if this is one of those Go Fund Me pages that all of a sudden gets a lot of traction and does better than even imagined (the initial $10,500 is the cost of her deductibles plus the extra costs of the biopsies that were done out of network), anything extra would be put towards paying off the bills and debts that caused Kristi and I to have to find additional jobs, and what put us in this spot in the first place.

If even THAT is exceeded, then I would put those funds to taking her to the see the Wizarding World of Harry Potter next year in April of 2020, when she would have time to recover from the chemo and have worked through some physcial therapy. She is a true Hufflepuff, she loves books, and her and her friends used to wear their "house colors" on important dates in the Harry Potter world. Yes, she is a complete nerd, but because of that she is perfect for my nerdiness as well.

In closing:

She completes me, and the only thing I ever want her to do is smile, because she brightens the world when she does. I fought having to do this for so long, but I am not sure how much longer we can go without further outside help, so here it is. I will continue to work hard and try to do everything I can to make it easier for her. This is one way that I can try now. Thank you for taking a moment of your time to read this, I hope it shed a light on how wonderful Krsiti is, and how honored I am to have her in my life, and I hope you feel the same way too, even if you just read this and had a smile and knew there is good in the world, thanks for making it to this part. Share this with a friend as well maybe? Perhaps they might be able to help or know someone who can?