| Singer-songwriter and Wicked Cool Records artist Ryan Hamilton has launched a GoFundMe campaign to help cover medical and treatment expenses after being diagnosed with mantle cell lymphoma in leukemic form. Following more than two weeks in the hospital, including nearly a week in intensive care, Hamilton is now home and continuing treatment with the goal of reaching remission.The fundraiser, “Help Ryan Hamilton Fight Rare Cancer,” has an initial goal of $50,000to help Hamilton manage the costs of medications, oncology care, chemotherapy, testing, scans, hospital bills and recovery.Donate or share the fundraiser here.Hamilton, a Texas musician and father to a young daughter, Della, shared the circumstances surrounding his diagnosis in a personal account on the fundraising page. Severe abdominal pain brought him to an emergency room in Granbury, Texas, where doctors discovered an enormously enlarged spleen and a white blood cell count of nearly 300,000. He was then rushed to an ICU in Fort Worth for specialized care.After nearly a week in intensive care, Hamilton was transferred to the oncology floor, where he spent more than another week receiving chemotherapy, blood transfusions and medications before returning home.“I’ve never been so thin. I’ve never been so weak. I’ve also never been so thankful to be alive,” Hamilton writes.While Hamilton has health insurance and has qualified for financial assistance, he says the expenses remain overwhelming. According to his account, one prescribed medication costs approximately $300 per pill and must be taken daily for at least two years—a total medication cost of roughly $219,000 over that period. It is one of eight prescriptions he is currently taking, alongside the additional expenses associated with ongoing cancer care.“I never imagined I would be creating a GoFundMe to afford to fight for my life,” Hamilton shares. “But I also never imagined I’d be sitting in an ICU being told I had a rare form of cancer.”Hamilton emphasizes that the fundraiser’s $50,000 goal is a starting point, rather than an estimate of the full cost of treatment, which remains unknown. He is asking those who can contribute to consider donating, and encourages anyone unable to give financially to share the campaign.Known for his work as a solo artist and with Ryan Hamilton and the Harlequin Ghosts, Hamilton has built a career as a singer-songwriter and recording artist with Wicked Cool Records. Now, he is focused on his recovery, his family and the chance to continue making music.“I’m a dad, and more than anything else in this world, I want to be here to watch my daughter grow up,” he writes. “I have songs I haven’t written yet. Shows I haven’t played yet. Friends and family I love, and a whole lot of life I’m not finished living.”To donate, read Ryan’s full story or share the campaign, visit Help Ryan Hamilton Fight Rare Cancer. |
