Help Jim Headley Overcome Cancer and Financial Strain
Story
I am Emily Headley. I’m married to my husband, Jim, for 51 years. We have lived in Silverthorne, Colorado, where we’ve raised 4 children. Jim found a hard spot on his abdomen in May, 2022. Turned out to be follicular lymphoma. He had no health insurance, due to having cobra insurance for 18 months after he retired from the Climax mine and missing Medicare enrollment period. All big tests were done that month, uncovered by insurance. We then got insurance for him.After 4 months of chemo treatment the PET scan showed the cancer was not going away. Had another biopsy in his abdomen this time (where the tumor had always been) and found out it was a different kind of lymphoma than he was treated for. Now he was diagnosed with LBCL. Started a much stronger chemo down at UChealth. He was inpatient for 5 days every 21 days. I stayed in a hotel across the street from hospital. After 6 treatments a PET scan showed the cancer was not responding well. The next step was CarTcell therapy. There were lots of trips to UCHealth. I stayed in the hotel to be near. We needed to stay at the hotel for 30 days after the CarTCell therapy to be within 30 miles of the hospital. After this treatment, Jim had about 19 months of remission.Then in December 2024, PET scan showed lymphoma had returned in the right atrium of his heart. An airlift from Vail happens after they aren’t able to drain fluid from around his heart. He’s back at UCHealth again.More hotel stays for me.Starts a new chemotherapy program. After 2 stays in the hospital and having a hematoma in his hip, bleeding internally, he was now unable to walk on his own, due to an old injury from hockey. Jim has 4 treatments and PET scan shows the lymphoma has not gone away.April 24,he starts a new treatment and is enrolling in a clinical trial to receive Mar T cell therapy. It’s similar to CarTcell but it will kill multiple cancer cells. So that’s a 14 day stay close to the hospital. We have a second mortgage to help with bills. We fell behind on our monthly payments and mortgage. We are really struggling to make ends meet.
Organizers :
Emily Headley is organizing this fundraiser.