Just got a letter with a check for $100 from a kind lady in Walla Walla. She writes,
"We know Jim only through Automan, but have found him a lovely and generous person—and a great mechanic! The enclosed check is to help him with his medical expenses."
It's so exciting to see Jim's fund growing. Thank you so much!
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Jim Andrews - The Automan - Cancer fund!
I've got exciting news about some fundraisers for Jim in the Walla Walla area. It is heartwarming to hear of the love and support that is being shown for my dear brother. He's spent a lifetime showing the Golden Rule to others, and now people are responding in kind. Truly, kindness always comes back.
Barbara Suzui of Gary's Paint and Decorating is spearheading much of the fundraising efforts (thank you so much, Barbara). Here are the details I have so far:
1. Big Cheese Pizza. A gift card purchase of $10 gives you a specialty pizza worth $18—and contributes $3 for Jim's fund. These are great stocking stuffers, and give you a great deal while helping Jim. Cards can be obtained from Barbara at Gary's Paint, or you can call her cellphone at 509-301-9406. If you can help sell the cards, just give her a call and she can work it out with you. Also, if you can help put up posters in the Walla Walla area, please contact Barbara. People are taking these cards to sell at their club meetings, churches, and other events. They are easy to sell, as everyone loves a bargain—and if includes pizza, what could be better?
2. Baskin-Robbins Ice Cream. Adam at Walla Walla's Baskin-Robbins Ice Cream Parlor is planning on holding evening events for Jim. A percentage of all purchases during these evenings will go to Jim's fund. The first event will be January 20. 10% of the gross profit will go to Jim's fund.
3. Kenna's Glass. Kenna Larson, herself a cancer survivor, is selling her glass etching products and donating a percentage of the profits for Jim's fund.
Thank you Barbara, Adam, and Kenna for this wonderful outpouring of support. It means the world!
UPDATE: Barbara tells me that she can arrange for a similar fundraising opportunity with Pizza Hut, if anyone from any location where there is a Pizza Hut is willing to help. The coupons are easy to sell, as everyone likes pizza, no matter what the season. If you would be willing to be involved, please contact Barbara at the phone number given above.
Barbara Suzui of Gary's Paint and Decorating is spearheading much of the fundraising efforts (thank you so much, Barbara). Here are the details I have so far:
1. Big Cheese Pizza. A gift card purchase of $10 gives you a specialty pizza worth $18—and contributes $3 for Jim's fund. These are great stocking stuffers, and give you a great deal while helping Jim. Cards can be obtained from Barbara at Gary's Paint, or you can call her cellphone at 509-301-9406. If you can help sell the cards, just give her a call and she can work it out with you. Also, if you can help put up posters in the Walla Walla area, please contact Barbara. People are taking these cards to sell at their club meetings, churches, and other events. They are easy to sell, as everyone loves a bargain—and if includes pizza, what could be better?
2. Baskin-Robbins Ice Cream. Adam at Walla Walla's Baskin-Robbins Ice Cream Parlor is planning on holding evening events for Jim. A percentage of all purchases during these evenings will go to Jim's fund. The first event will be January 20. 10% of the gross profit will go to Jim's fund.
3. Kenna's Glass. Kenna Larson, herself a cancer survivor, is selling her glass etching products and donating a percentage of the profits for Jim's fund.
Thank you Barbara, Adam, and Kenna for this wonderful outpouring of support. It means the world!
UPDATE: Barbara tells me that she can arrange for a similar fundraising opportunity with Pizza Hut, if anyone from any location where there is a Pizza Hut is willing to help. The coupons are easy to sell, as everyone likes pizza, no matter what the season. If you would be willing to be involved, please contact Barbara at the phone number given above.
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Message from someone Jim helped along the way
This was sent to me (Jim's sister) yesterday. It is an example of stories many people have told me--but this one is in writing, and I just had to share it. It would be wonderful if you could add your own story as a comment.
"I first met Jim when we came to visit family in WW one weekend several years ago. Our vehicle had a warning light come on during the trip and we were desperate to find someone available on a weekend to check it out. We found Jim in the phone book and were so glad when he answered the phone and told us to bring the van by. Upon our arrival, he immediately stopped what he was doing and gave us his full attention. We ultimately took the van for a drive to show him what the problem was, and he gladly hopped in without a moment's hesitation. He ended up deciding that we were safe to return to Spokane, topped off the transmission fluid (the transmission was ultimately replaced when we got home but he was right, we were safe to drive home) and sent us on our way...refusing to let us pay him anything. His friendly attitude and generous spirit made quite an impression that day.
"My family and I have subsequently moved to Walla Walla. I am a physician at St. Mary Medical Center and performed a procedure on Jim earlier in the year. At the time, his face was familiar to me but I couldn't recall why. However, the article in the WW Union Bulletin on Dec. 12 brought it all into perspective as I remembered the scenario above. I was immediately compelled to contribute to the cause of such a hard working, generous man like Jim.
"Please let Jim know he is appreciated and not alone in his fight; may he trust in our Lord, the great healer and rest in the peace and comfort that He provides. We will keep Jim in our prayers."
"I first met Jim when we came to visit family in WW one weekend several years ago. Our vehicle had a warning light come on during the trip and we were desperate to find someone available on a weekend to check it out. We found Jim in the phone book and were so glad when he answered the phone and told us to bring the van by. Upon our arrival, he immediately stopped what he was doing and gave us his full attention. We ultimately took the van for a drive to show him what the problem was, and he gladly hopped in without a moment's hesitation. He ended up deciding that we were safe to return to Spokane, topped off the transmission fluid (the transmission was ultimately replaced when we got home but he was right, we were safe to drive home) and sent us on our way...refusing to let us pay him anything. His friendly attitude and generous spirit made quite an impression that day.
"My family and I have subsequently moved to Walla Walla. I am a physician at St. Mary Medical Center and performed a procedure on Jim earlier in the year. At the time, his face was familiar to me but I couldn't recall why. However, the article in the WW Union Bulletin on Dec. 12 brought it all into perspective as I remembered the scenario above. I was immediately compelled to contribute to the cause of such a hard working, generous man like Jim.
"Please let Jim know he is appreciated and not alone in his fight; may he trust in our Lord, the great healer and rest in the peace and comfort that He provides. We will keep Jim in our prayers."
Monday, December 13, 2010
A Timeline at Last!
Since Jim was accepted in the bone marrow transplant program, we have had so many ups and downs just trying to learn what the timeline for the procedure would be. We first understood that the procedure would begin in October and that everything would likely be finished by the end of the year. But different entities along the way caused delay in many frustrating ways. Slowness of the insurance to authorize necessary treatment caused much of this, because until the new treatment began, Jim's proteins could not reach the needed level.
We have been given several dates when Jim would start the transplant process. The latest information is that Jim will begin the process in Seattle on January 4, 2011. This means that he will now be responsible for another $10,000 deductible--but there are also reasons for this being a good time for it to begin.
Here is the timeline we have been given:
1-4-11: Check in and blood work
1-5: Meet with Physician
1-6/7: Bone marrow biopsy, MRI, EKG/EEG, x-rays, pulmonary function test, dental exam and urine collection
1-10 to 1-12: Meet with Nutritionist, Social Worker, Pharmacist, Finance. At this time he will also be getting information on at home food safety, IV class, how to work the pumps.
1-13/14: Review of all test result, including bloodwork, x-rays, etc. and mental/physical health evaluation
1-17: Installation of Hickman Catheter –
1-19: Start chemo to mobilize his stemcells. Daily injections of Nupagen to stimulate bone marrow production
1-24 to 1-26: Stem cell collection - 3 hours daily for 2-3 days
Approx. 2 weeks off, when he can go home.
2-7 or 8: Additional chemo to get ready for transplant. One day of rest after chemo. Then they will give him back his stem cells. He will go into the hospital for two weeks, during the most critical time when his immunity is the lowest.
About two weeks later, he will be moving into a rental unit near the hospital, where he will remain with his caregiver until the physicians feel his immune system has recovered enough for him to return home.
We'll keep you up to date as we learn more. In the meantime, thanks so much for your support and prayers. They mean the world.
We have been given several dates when Jim would start the transplant process. The latest information is that Jim will begin the process in Seattle on January 4, 2011. This means that he will now be responsible for another $10,000 deductible--but there are also reasons for this being a good time for it to begin.
Here is the timeline we have been given:
1-4-11: Check in and blood work
1-5: Meet with Physician
1-6/7: Bone marrow biopsy, MRI, EKG/EEG, x-rays, pulmonary function test, dental exam and urine collection
1-10 to 1-12: Meet with Nutritionist, Social Worker, Pharmacist, Finance. At this time he will also be getting information on at home food safety, IV class, how to work the pumps.
1-13/14: Review of all test result, including bloodwork, x-rays, etc. and mental/physical health evaluation
1-17: Installation of Hickman Catheter –
1-19: Start chemo to mobilize his stemcells. Daily injections of Nupagen to stimulate bone marrow production
1-24 to 1-26: Stem cell collection - 3 hours daily for 2-3 days
Approx. 2 weeks off, when he can go home.
2-7 or 8: Additional chemo to get ready for transplant. One day of rest after chemo. Then they will give him back his stem cells. He will go into the hospital for two weeks, during the most critical time when his immunity is the lowest.
About two weeks later, he will be moving into a rental unit near the hospital, where he will remain with his caregiver until the physicians feel his immune system has recovered enough for him to return home.
We'll keep you up to date as we learn more. In the meantime, thanks so much for your support and prayers. They mean the world.
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Report from Weekend in Walla Walla
Note from Janet Evert (Jim's sister):
We just returned from visiting Jim in Walla Walla. He looks quite good, although he's moving a little slowly. He has been taken off all chemo in preparation for the procedure in Seattle. Unfortunately, the chemo has caused a fair amount of nerve damage, so he is struggling with some painful neuropathy, especially in his legs, which he describes as the feeling you get when you've been outside in freezing cold weather too long, and then come inside--that freezing, burning pain you get as you start to warm up.
Jim has an auto repair business in Walla Walla, "Jim the Automan." He's very concerned about what will happen when he packs up and goes to Seattle. Still, to not go would be a death sentence. He will be having what is known as an autologous transplant, which means his own stem cells will be collected from his blood stream over a period of 1-2 weeks. These will be stored in a freezer to be given back to him after he has been given high-dose, marrow-ablative chemotherapy and/or irradiation to kill rapidly-dividing cells such as cancer and bone marrow cells. The medical team will then thaw his previously-harvested stem cells and given to him through a central venous (CV) line.
His immune system will be very vulnerable during this time. He will be staying near the hospital, with a caregiver keeping close watch over him, taking him in for lab tests, tending his CV line, encouraging him to eat, etc.
Somewhere between 10 and 28 days after this, his marrow will start producing new stem cells. When the transplant team feels that he is ready to return home. This could be as soon as 40 days or as long as four months, depending on his response.
My brother Kevin and I are planning to be his primary caregivers. I am nervous about it, but also happy that I can be part of the team to surround him with love and care, and help him get well.
Some have asked me about his expenses and medical fees. His insurance has a high deductible, which starts over each January. This means that he is liable for this liability of $10,000 for both 2010 and 2011. His out-of-pocket expenses for the procedure, not counting loss of income or home expenses while he is not working, will run at least $30,000--and we probably don't know the half of it! He started up his auto repair business a few years ago and has put everything into it, so he has no savings to fall back upon. We will do all we can, but as we have been in ministry for 20 years, our best is not enough.
Thank you so much for your interest, your prayers, and your support. It means the world to him, and to all of us.
We just returned from visiting Jim in Walla Walla. He looks quite good, although he's moving a little slowly. He has been taken off all chemo in preparation for the procedure in Seattle. Unfortunately, the chemo has caused a fair amount of nerve damage, so he is struggling with some painful neuropathy, especially in his legs, which he describes as the feeling you get when you've been outside in freezing cold weather too long, and then come inside--that freezing, burning pain you get as you start to warm up.
Jim has an auto repair business in Walla Walla, "Jim the Automan." He's very concerned about what will happen when he packs up and goes to Seattle. Still, to not go would be a death sentence. He will be having what is known as an autologous transplant, which means his own stem cells will be collected from his blood stream over a period of 1-2 weeks. These will be stored in a freezer to be given back to him after he has been given high-dose, marrow-ablative chemotherapy and/or irradiation to kill rapidly-dividing cells such as cancer and bone marrow cells. The medical team will then thaw his previously-harvested stem cells and given to him through a central venous (CV) line.
His immune system will be very vulnerable during this time. He will be staying near the hospital, with a caregiver keeping close watch over him, taking him in for lab tests, tending his CV line, encouraging him to eat, etc.
Somewhere between 10 and 28 days after this, his marrow will start producing new stem cells. When the transplant team feels that he is ready to return home. This could be as soon as 40 days or as long as four months, depending on his response.
My brother Kevin and I are planning to be his primary caregivers. I am nervous about it, but also happy that I can be part of the team to surround him with love and care, and help him get well.
Some have asked me about his expenses and medical fees. His insurance has a high deductible, which starts over each January. This means that he is liable for this liability of $10,000 for both 2010 and 2011. His out-of-pocket expenses for the procedure, not counting loss of income or home expenses while he is not working, will run at least $30,000--and we probably don't know the half of it! He started up his auto repair business a few years ago and has put everything into it, so he has no savings to fall back upon. We will do all we can, but as we have been in ministry for 20 years, our best is not enough.
Thank you so much for your interest, your prayers, and your support. It means the world to him, and to all of us.
Thursday, October 21, 2010
What It's All About
In May of this year, Jim learned that he had multiple myeloma, a cancer of the plasma cells. Since then, he has been undergoing chemotherapy, and has seen some improvement. Still, without further treatment, he has a very poor prognosis. This means that the next step for Jim is stem cell therapy at the University of Washington in Seattle. This therapy often has excellent results, increasing Jim's life expectancy from a few miserable years as the disease progresses to a near-normal life expectancy. This will also make it possible for him to profit by more innovative treatments that may be discovered in the future. Jim has had a consultation with the physicians at UW, and has been accepted for treatment. Unfortunately, this therapy takes several months. After a variety of outpatient procedures, he will mostly likely require some time in the hospital. Following this, he must remain nearby as an outpatient until his immune system has recovered sufficiently for him to return home. Although insurance will cover much of this very expensive treatment, he is facing considerably upwards of $20,000 in medical debts, and more are sure to follow. In addition, he must cover several months of outpatient housing near the medical center, as well as meals, transportation, and other non-covered expenses. During this time, Jim's household bills will be accumulating, since he won't be able to work. Helping to alleviate the financial burden of his medical expenses will help diminish his stress and allow him to focus on getting better. We, his friends and family, can support him by giving what we can—one less worry and a lot of encouragement in his fight! You can check this site for updates on Jim's progress. Please leave your comments—Jim would love to hear from you. To help with Jim's medical fund, click the arrow in the Pledgie box on the right. This will take you to PayPal. You do not need to be a member of PayPal to use the service. The money donated goes directly into a safe account, and 100% of the funds will be used for Jim's medical expenses. Mail also works. Send to Janet Evert, PO Box 400, Inchelium, WA 99138. If you have any questions or concerns, contact Janet at 509-722-3728 or ydjanet@yahoo.com.
This blog is being administered by Jim's sister, Janet Andrews Evert.
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