gramma's fabulous garage sale fundraiser!

my grandma, grampa marty, aunt denise, neighbor cory, mom franco, corgi cousins, stellaluna and friends of lake elsinore had a garage sale last friday and saturday at my gramma's house. they earned $760 towards nathanael's fundraiser!!!!

as gramma's neighbor, cory (pictured), said: "Our Fabulous Garage Sale is this Friday. All the money goes to Nathanael and you."

cory was amazing stopping cars on the corner to come and shop for nathanael! she had put signs all over town and even set up coin collections at all the farmer's markets she works at.the corgi cousins, buster and peaches, helped draw in the crowds!a happy customer! my mom was delighted to see kids buying books for themselves! my beloved gramma whom i love truck fulls and beautiful aunt deni!gramma and her favorite grandog, stella, on the porch.franco counts the sales! gramma is exhausted!grampa marty cleans up. he built a special area for hanging clothes and about 5,000 other tasks. he is italian so he has better genes than the rest of us. he is collecting bottles and cans every week and cashing them in for nathanael. the man never stops! they donated left overs to another garage sale fundraiser in town.thank you so much everyone-- especially gramma, marty, cory, aunt deni, joyce, dottie, mom and patrons of lake elsinore for making this happen! it was a ton of work and we are SO blessed by your help!

THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!!!!!!

Note from N.D. on Stem Cell Treatment 6

Dear Friends,

Thank you all so much for your thoughts and prayers for this latest stem cell injection. Per usual I experienced increased nausea and flu-like symptoms for the first few days. But I'm still experiencing fatigue and am not feeling the usual boost that I did in the past. There are lots of fires around our area so it's smokey and that doesn't help.

I hope in time, these cells will ignite my metabolic processes and that I'll be able to continue progressing. I know that God knows, cares and has already ordained my life; my future and my hope lie in Him and His unchanging love.

Thank you all for your encouragement.

Love, N

tacoma visit

getting the fundraiser going has taken ALL of my free time (hmm... not sure if sleep deprivation counts), so i forgot to tell you i was blessed to go on a short get away in march.my dear friends, meag, abby and kathy flew me to tacoma for a weekend. i hadn't been away from n for over a year and his care is still intense so my mom and abby's husband, tim (n's best pal) came in to help. it was major coordination, but worth it. i got to meet kathy's daughter, nora, and abby's baby, avery, for the first time. i am so thankful for that, for they are cute peanuts!i got to enjoy a cloudy seattle day and eat lots of good food!i spent an emotional morning at our old church reuniting with special friends. it was sad to be there without n. i can't express how much it meant for my friends to do this and i'm so thankful it worked out. more details and photos at right:). thank you everyone for making it happen!

fundraising for nathanael

nathanael in january 2010

nathanael in march 2011 after 5 umbilical stem cell treatments

Dear Friends and Family,

I am writing to you on behalf of my husband, Nathanael Daggett. Nathanael is thirty-three-years-old and has a contagious smile, great sense of humor and something cheerful to say even on his worst days. And he has had a lot of them. Nathanael has been struggling with chronic health issues since he was eighteen. After receiving years of incomplete diagnoses ranging from lack of stomach enzymes, to parasites, to mercury toxicity, my husband was diagnosed with Lyme disease in 2004, Aplastic Anemia in 2006 (a life-threatening blood cell production disorder), and as a result, advanced Osteoporosis in 2007. He has been on a painful path of slow starvation, and in recent years has become progressively disabled due to bone fractures from such simple movements as getting off the toilet or sitting in his wheelchair for too long.

Nathanael has tried a range of conventional and non-conventional treatments to slow the pace of his deterioration. He has been hospitalized several times and suffered a major seizure in 2007 which left his spine broken in four places. In January 2010, Nathanael’s weight dropped to eighty-five pounds and a catheter was placed in his chest over his heart so that he could receive IV nutrition. In June 2010 he suffered a spinal compression fracture which has left him bed-ridden ever since. When this injury occurred, it was a very heartbreaking time for our whole family. Nathanael began to discuss with us his end-of-life wishes.

In August 2010, Nathanael was given the opportunity to try something he hadn’t yet tried: umbilical stem cell therapy. Miraculously, we received an unsolicited grant which allotted him six stem cell treatments. He has done five so far and the results have been astounding. He has gained nearly 25 pounds, is relearning to walk, and his red and white cell counts have been up for the entire year of 2011. This is the FIRST and ONLY treatment that has helped significantly as evidenced in the pictures above.

Nathanael and I would like the chance for his progress to continue --- for his quality of life to change. We cannot afford to keep up these treatments as the out-of-pocket cost is $4,100 per injection. The recommended dosage is regular injections every six-eight weeks for at least one more year. Our first year goal --- to raise $38,000 to cover the cost of at least seven injections over the next year and additional IV medications.

A fundraising campaign in Nathanael‘s honor has been established with NTAF. NTAF is a nonprofit organization that has been assisting the transplant community for more than 28 years. All donations are tax-deductible and are administered by NTAF for transplant-related expenses only. Any donation would be appreciated more than words can say. To help:

Make checks payable to: NTAF Southwest Stem Cell Transplant Fund
Note in memo section: In Honor of Nathanael Daggett
Mail to:
NTAF
150 N. Radnor Chester Road, Suite F-120
Radnor, PA 19087

If you would prefer to make a credit card contribution, please call 800-642-8399 or visit http://www.ntafund.org/ and enter Nathanael Daggett in the “Find a Patient” box on the homepage or click this link: transplant fundraiser for nathanael. You may also find updates there.

Thank you for taking the time to read my husband’s story and consider his needs. We understand it’s a lot to ask for a donation, so we would also be grateful for your fundraising ideas, thoughts and prayers on this journey.

With deep appreciation,

Roxie Daggett
roxiedaggett@gmail.com

Contributions are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by the law. This campaign is administered by the National Transplant Assistance Fund, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit providing fundraising assistance to transplant and catastrophic injury patients. Information: 800-642-8399.

stem cell journey

do you recognize this handsome face? it sure has taken some getting used to. since doing several stem cell treatment since august 2010, thanks to incredible donations (especially one sizable one) from family friends, there have been some changes. as you recall, N dropped to 85 lbs. last January and a port was put into his chest for IV nutrition. in june, he suffered a compression fracture in his spine due to his advanced osteoperosis which has still left him primarily bedridden (he broke his spine in 3 places in 2007 after a major seizure so his back has never fully recovered). last year at this time, there was little progress and we were painfully doing paperwork for advanced directives and discussing N's wishes should something happen to him. it was awful.

then when N was flat on his back barely at 90 lbs. in june, that's when he convinced us to let him try the umbilical stem cells. "what do i have to lose?" he kept telling us. we held back because of finances (not covered by my insurance) and worries that it wouldn't work in his unhealthy condition.

after 5 donated treatments, for the first time in years (and remember we've known one another since middle school) N has gained weight. to date he has gained almost 20 lbs. i don't know what to say or what it means, but i am nervously thankful for this desperately needed gain. his red and white cell counts are also staying up. i am holding my breath, and anxious to go forward with more treatments.

it is still 24/7 care for N. he is relearning to walk and has some very hard days like today. his lyme symptoms are ramped up and he has to go on and off of antibiotics which regulate his pain, mood etc. it's a catch 22 because you can't stay on antibiotics for long without side effects. it's very emotionally draining to watch him fight so hard and have so many tough days of late, and then others where he cheers us up by shuffling out to the kitchen in ray bans.

we are hoping to keep up the treatments as long as possible since they are the only therapy (beyond the things he has found to just stay alive) that have helped him significantly. i have been researching fundraising ideas so i can keep this going. the umbilical stem cell injections are $4000 a piece and insurance does not help at all. as i said, we have been able to do this through a major miraculous donation. in my research, i am finding many lyme patients whose families spend all they have to keep loved ones alive, and many stories young adults who move in with parents as we have, and parents who work beyond retirement and sell all they have and get second jobs just to keep someone alive and fundraise when they have to. this research has comforted me; it's nice not to feel so alone on this unique journey. it's hard to keep asking and being in need, but i am encouraged by others who are not afraid to do the same. that's why it's been so long. it's hard to explain all we are going through and i still can't do it fully.

i know many of you out there want to help so if you have any good fundraising ideas, please let me know. i am trying to set it up through a non-profit so if you have any connections or insight in that area, i will gladly take suggestions. you know my e-mail or leave a comment.

much appreciation,

roxie

homies for the holidays

twas the night before christmas and pacito came running out of his babysitter's house in the dark with these babies on. it cheered us up, but he wasn't too thrilled.

christmas was... interesting. everyone was sick and pretty darn tired. his mom got hit with something like strep and his dad got something like the flu. we had lots of quarantine and lots of chores to keep it sano around here. we loaded up with extra z packs and both of the folks went through one round of the antibiotics. franco came and helped us sooooo much! don't know what i wouldv'e done with out my momma. she is amazing.

i was thoroughly exposed, but fought it off like a luchador ninja thai fighter. lots of symptoms but no defeat! i used everything in our arsenal from ozonated water to mushroom derived anticancer supplments. i did NOT want to get this and pass it onto n! to boost our efforts, cho and i made this gnarly, good soup from zuppa! (great italian country soup book).it's called poor man's soup with field herbs or something to that effect. i doubt many peasants could afford it. italians load it with greens and herbs: watercress, kale, mustard, dandelion, spinach, parsley sage, rosemary, thyme etc. then you top it with an herb, walnut, cream garnish after it's been cooked for hours with pork fennel sausage and cranberry beans (we used good mother stallards from rancho gordo... yummmmm... highly recommended). i felt like i was going to die after i ate this. cho loved it and felt fantastic. vive le french genes! apparently it's the italian peasant remedy for kidney problems. umm... eat at your own risk!!!!!! i did manage to sneak a few presents in. we didn't have a tree, but i had visa points so ho ho ho!tubbery got a new cashmere sweater! ...and chonis! sorry, but if you follow this blog, you've noticed that has been his wardrobe since june. maria even felt sorry enough for him to buy him a 6 pack of hanes white t-shirts for a gift. she was showing me up so i had to take action. she acted impressed, but was probably thinking, it's about time she got the poor guy some new underwear!for the record, i also got him a meaningful gift: simpsons season 6 with his favorite episode "homer badman" where homer is accused of sexually harassing the babysitter by removing the gummy venus de milo from her rear end. n has recalled this episode in detail to meag and me over the years to illustrate many points, which i'm sure were just excuses to make the conversation more interesting.

he has gained nearly 12 lbs. after doing 4 umbilical stem cell treatments. it's pretty amazing, but as i always have to say, i can't get my hopes high cuz it's too painful. i'm just thankful for where we are at now. he is still bed-ridden and dependent on us for full-time help and still has the port in his chest. we are looking forward to a few more treatments and seeing what will happen. when i sponge bathe him i see a terribly crooked spine and i can't fathom how it will be repaired sans a total miracle. but we know our Creator and trust Him no matter what. the routine has become exhausting. i am working 40 hours again, plus go dog go when i come home. just can't keep up with much beyond the basics. we ask for God's help and are receiving it though it has become quite hard.who let the dork out? anyhow, thanks for checking in. we love you and don't know everyone who's out there reading, but we'll keep you posted.

in His grace,

rocko

lamowonderland

warning: this post is for indulgent snow and dog lovers... so hopefully you can all be happy!

the weather outside was frightful! not really. it was beautiful. but driving home after work on thursday after sundown on a slippery snow packed and blizzardy freeway was terrifying and i won't be doing that again if i can help it!

apparently the lamo area got about 4 times as much nieve as fanta se. woo hoo! love that country livin'. the plowers wouldn't even come in the hood until sabado. however, it's all melting now with 50 degree days. what a wierd winter.

our garden tools got a little buried!

glad it wasn't trash day.

pacito y yo took an adventurous walk to the mail box. it was supposed to be my last day of work before winter break. what a treat! love getting that "campus closed due to weather and road conditions" text!

the neighborhood looked magical.

paco loooooooves the snow. he eats any snowball you can chuck at him and can track lost tennis balls in over a foot of snow. yes, that's right, folks. he even helped pull me out this embankment after i went in to take this photo and got stuck. he came right back when i cried "help me, paco!" and he let me pull on his harness to get out since my legs were all twisted up in three feet of snow. i pretended he was my hero and felt like i was 9 again. he's a rad dog, wouldn't you say?

it's because of all the brussels sprouts we feed him.

wally was so cold she had to get in the infared sauna. she loooooooves a sauna and cries to go in when it's off and gets ticked if we let her in and it's not on. she a real baby boo bear who knows what she wikes.

here is are the bully bunnies hippity hopping through the snow.

fanks for weading!