Larry and Tara Church still live in the home Larry bought in 1976, two years before they were married.
You may know Larry since he has worked on the Plateau for both Safeway and QFC since 1975, the past 12 years as the meat department manager at the Klahanie QFC. Tara has worked for the Issaquah School District for the last 18 years, the last eight years as the kitchen manager at Issaquah High School.
Then last year, that normal life took a turn.
Early in 2012 Larry wasn’t feeling well. He thought he had mononucleosis. Instead, it was CML Leukemia, a blood cancer that grows abnormal white blood cells that won’t die. Virginia Mason oncology put him on an oral chemotherapy, which costs $8,000 a month. Fortunately, it was covered by insurance and he was doing well and still able to work. Then, several months later, the Leukemia morphed.
“Blood cancer is very creative,” Tara said. “You learn to stop it in one way — but it was back.”
After doing some research on his own, Larry was accepted into a clinical trial on a drug called Ponatinib. Tara said some of the side effects were rough and he was progressing slowly. But this was his last chance. The drug was approved by the FDA right before he started on it, so again, insurance covered the drug.
It didn’t work. He developed two other mutations of the Leukemia. His body went into the third stage of the disease called blast.
According to the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance, abnormal blasts begin to take over the bone marrow and prevent production of adequate numbers of other types of blood cells, such as platelets, red blood cells and healthy white blood cells. Production of leukemic blasts may get so out of hand that the immature cells spill out from the bone marrow into the circulation.
Larry was given high doses of chemotherapy for six days to burn out his bone marrow. He then got a bone marrow transplant from his brother, who was a perfect match.
He’s on the mend, but his platelets, red and white blood cells, are burned out, which has left him with the immune system of a newborn baby.
“If he were to get shingles it would very likely kill him,” Tara said. He is a carrier of the shingles virus.
Now the couple is on day 59 of 100 days in isolation at a sterile transplant house near the University of Washington hospital. The sterile house is $1,800 a month, plus the Church’s have their home to take care of in Issaquah.
They can’t take the risk of him being exposed to anything and he needs to be close to the hospital because even if he gets a fever they need to be in the hospital within 30 minutes.
But the clock is ticking on his insurance because once he is out of isolation, he will need four more months of 24/7 care. His insurance runs out in September and Tara, as his caregiver, will not be able to work until possibly January 2014. He’ll live, but the couple could be wiped out financially.
HOW YOU CAN HELP
To help Larry, the community is having a huge, benefit garage sale on Friday and Saturday, Aug. 23 and 24 at 26574 SE 15th St. in Sammamish. Cash donations may be given to Kathy Boll at the garage sale. Also, a “Benevolent account for Larry Church” has been set up at BECU. The local branch in Issaquah is at 735 NW Gilman Blvd. People also can make donations at www.helphopelive.org. Once on the site, type in Larry Church and you will be directed to his page.
