Jeffrey Daniels — a 20-year-old AFSCME Local 2011 member who works for the Town of Norridgewock at the Town Garage — was recently diagnosed with leukemia and needs our support as medical and travel expenses continue to mount.
Please considering donating to help Jeffrey during this critical time
The following comes from his crowdfunding page:
On March 15, 2023, Jeffrey went to his primary care doctor after not feeling well for several weeks. On that day, after extensive testing and examination by several doctors and specialists, he was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL). He was immediately admitted to Maine Medical Center in Portland for the initial start of extensive chemotherapy, IV infusions, and transfusion treatments.
At this time, Jeffrey has moved in with his parents in Monmouth to be cared for and to be closer to the hospital. The 45-minute distance is required by the Cancer Center at Maine Med, so that he is relatively close by in the event there is an emergency, such as bleeding, fever, etc. It also allows for a closer distance when attending one of his many treatments.
He is receiving outpatient treatments at Maine Childrens Cancer Program in Scarborough and Maine Medical Center in Portland. The patient treatments are 3-5 days per week, depending on the daily lab results. This will be followed by 3-5 day inpatient treatments in July and August as the treatment regiment becomes more aggressive.
The first 6-9 months will be the toughest and most critical for him. The rest will be in stages. The average treatment course for ALL is two-plus years under good conditions. After his initial months of treatment, Jeffrey is hopeful to begin the maintenance phase of his treatment, which will continue to include chemotherapy and other drug therapy, hopefully, on a less-frequent schedule.
Although everything in Jeffrey's life has been disrupted, he approaches his illness with amazing acceptance and determination. He keeps his eye on the future and reaching the maintenance phase, hopefully by his 21st birthday in December. The idea of returning to live and work in Norridgewock (the town he loves) keeps him going and gets him through the tough days and harsh treatments.
Offline donations may be dropped off or mailed to the Norridgewock Town Office (16 Perkins St., PO Box 7, Norridgewock, ME 04957). Payable to Jeffrey Daniels.