By the time he reached 30 this year, Donovan Childress says he had never spent a day in the hospital. In fact, he can't remember any serious illnesses at all. He was the one who would stay healthy at work, even as one-by-one, his coworkers succumbed to whatever kind of yuck that was going around.

Health Insurance? Childress never gave it any serious thought.

So it was odd when, this past Labor Day, he felt bad enough to leave work at Hal and Mal's and head to an MEA clinic to see a doctor. "It felt like a bad case of gas," he says. Nothing was getting through his system.

The MEA doctor poked and prodded him, then took an X-ray. His prognosis? Get to an emergency room. Now. Something was obstructing Childress' intestine.

The shadow on the X-ray proved to be a tumor that had wrapped its way around the young man's bowel and spread to his liver. After a lifetime of good health, St. Dominic's doctors told Childress he had cancer.

Childress would stay in the hospital for more than two weeks, undergoing major surgery to remove part of his intestine and the tumor that was keeping him from digesting any food. The tumor in his liver is still there, he says, and he's steeling himself for more surgery. In the meantime, he will begin a course of chemotherapy, which his doctors hope will shrink the remaining mass.

Nicole Luna, Childress' girlfriend and a chef at Parlor Market, has been helping Childress navigate his options for paying for his treatment. He can't work, and his meager savings aren't nearly enough to cover the costs. So far, Luna has helped Childress through getting a disabled status from the Social Security Administration, and she's working through the Medicaid system to get whatever coverage he can for his medical expenses--with luck, most, if not all of those bills will be paid by Medicaid.

Living expenses are another matter. Luna and Childress are working through an attorney friend of theirs to set up a foundation where they can accept donations without jeopardizing his Social Security or Medicaid status.

This Sunday, Hal and Mal's (200 S. Commerce St.) is holding a fundraiser for Childress starting at 3 p.m. On the agenda is music, food and a silent auction. All proceeds go toward Childress' cost of living as he continues treatment and recovery. For more information, visit the benefit Facebook page.

Previous Comments

ID

165188

Comment

WOW! Is there any contact information for Luna or for Childress? (Email preferably)I have no idea how I can help, but I'd like to try.

Author

Queen601

Date

2011-10-14T13:39:55-06:00