My name is Josh Reeves and I have just been diagnosed with multiple myeloma. I’m about to begin treatment and though I do have some insurance, it’s seasonal insurance through Xanterra and doesn’t cover a lot. The PET scan alone costs nearly 15,000 dollars and I’m not sure what all the treatments are gonna cost. Though there is no cure, I have a good chance of getting at least 10 more years if the chemo and everything works as hoped. My relatively young age and overall good health give us reason for optimism.
I have been with my wife Gabbi for a little over 10 years. She is younger than me, so I expected to go first, but I’ve prayed and hoped that my passing would be anything but cancer. Gabbi watched her father die of cancer when she was only 7, and I had hoped she’d not have to go through that again. I’ve truly been blessed that such an amazing woman fell in love with me, and she is my reason for everything.
These past 5 years have been some of the best of my life. I feel I’ve finally grown up and have been appreciating my family and life more than I ever have. For most of my life, I’ve been selfish and not the nicest guy most of the time, and it feels good to have finally worked my way away from that. I’ve done everything I can think of to be a better human and to be healthier so that I can give her as good a life as possible. We are rich, just not monetarily.
My doctor thinks we caught it early enough to have a prognosis that’s as good as it can be. There is no cure, and the longest anyone has lived after diagnosis is 33 years, which by then I’d be over 80, and it would be a little easier to accept. I get a bone marrow biopsy on June 23 and will know for sure what my status will be shortly after that.
I’ve never been too scared of dying, but I’m not ready to go yet. My dad, kids, and wife don’t deserve to have to watch me go like this, and I have vowed to fight until every resource has been exhausted and there is nothing left to try. My dad and my siblings watched my mom die slowly from ALS, and they deserve better than to watch me go slow like that as well.
Even if you can’t donate, I know times are tough and everything’s expensive, please say a prayer and send some hope and good energy to me and my family. I am grateful for the life I’ve led, and I want to thank you all for any help, be it a dollar, a few words of encouragement, or just a prayer for me.
