This is Megan posting on behalf of Julie :)

Today is day 500 for Mike! That means he is on Day 500 since his transplant on January 3rd, 2023. It’s a pretty amazing milestone and one we were not sure he would make in the early days of his journey. 

If you happen to run into or see Mike, you would never even know what he has gone through; he looks great and feels very good most of the time. Mike is on a 3 days a month oral chemo to keep the Leukemia away and has tolerated it fairly well so far. He is a little tired on the days he takes it, but has finished 11 of the 24 months. The chemo is hard on his platelets, but so far they have come up nicely every month after the chemo is done. He also has some neuropathy in his feet that some days drives him nuts, but the doctors say it should get better.

We are so very thankful for all of the prayers and support of our friends and family. Some days, it seems like a miracle and we all have some trauma to still work through. One of the ways that we are showing our gratitude is by getting involved with the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. As you may recall, we have had a team in both 2022 and 2023 under Team Mike and participated in Light the Night at Harriet Island in St. Paul. This year, the walk is scheduled for September 26th. We have set a hefty fundraising goal of $20,000.00 for 2024!  Last year we raised close to $14,000.00. Mike and I feel so strongly about the work that LLS does, that we are making the first donation of $5,000.00.

Team Mike Donation Page

The funds raised go directly to help families that are facing a crisis with a blood cancer diagnosis and also to research and development of new treatments. Did you know that 42% of families diagnosed with cancer will end up filing personal bankruptcy?  We are asking our friends and family to please consider a donation to help us meet our goal. 

We are having a fundraising kick off on June 20th, 2024 – a fun night of Bingo to kick off our fundraising efforts!! There will also be a new Team Mike design and fun items to purchase soon. See the flyer below for details on the Bingo Night, which will be lots of fun including prizes, too! This is for all ages!

Bingo Bonanza Event