Scott Golder

Hello. My name is Scott Golder. I am a 46 year old Army veteran and a VA nurse, now battling with an aggressive case of Multiple Myeloma. Though it has been rough, I feel fortunate to be on this journey alongside my wife Lizanne, our 5-year-old son Rhys, and with the support of many friends and family. Many asked how they can help, so I decided to share my story here through the Bone Marrow and Cancer Foundation, to keep everyone updated and to gather any help we can get to aid our journey.

All donations through this site goes directly to support this process and my family, and all donations are tax deductible.

On June 10th 2020, I was diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma. Multiple myeloma is a type of blood cancer which is not curable, but is treatable. I am being treated by the Multiple Myeloma Program at Mt. Sinai Hospital in New York City. My oncologists at Mt. Sinai are the world’s leading experts on this type of cancer. Unfortunately, even with their expertise, my disease has not responded well to the standard treatments, with at most a few months of positive response before requiring yet another treatment. I have undergone several treatments, including 3 Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation (HCT) transplants, radiation, and numerous rounds of various types of chemotherapy over the past 2 years, but have not yet achieved remission.  I may never achieve remission.  At this point, my doctors have been trying any clinical trial treatments that are available for which I qualify. I am currently on a clinical trial through Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center for a bone marrow transplant, and will be there for the remainder of the summer.

I was an Army Clinical Nurse, and in 2016 I retired from the Army reserves after 22 years. I worked at the VA since 2004 as an LPN, and as an RN since 2018. However, the demands of this disease and its treatment has made it virtually impossible to work.  I have spent most of each year since my diagnosis in the hospital, with repeated months-long periods of being blood transfusion dependent. I am lucky that I have coworkers who are understanding, but I’ve long since run out of medical leave. The VA has been covering my medical insurance premiums while I have been out on extended medical leave, but I will have to pay that back of course when I return, as a payroll debt.

I was the main bread winner, but now without work, the mounting expenses to support my family, as well as expenses around treatment have become very burdensome, and it has become a source of tremendous stress for me and my family. Lizanne has a full time and a part time job to cover some of our expenses related to my care and our family’s livelihood, but that does not cover all of them.  She also has the responsibilities of caring for our son and our home, as I am in the hospital for much of the time each year. We have received significant financial support from family members and utilized most of the eligible cancer grants to stay afloat.  We are grateful for that, but still it has been a challenge making ends meet.

I have been a care provider most of my life, and it is not easy being in a position where I feel unable to care myself and for my family due to the burdens of this cancer. It took courage for me to say, ‘Yes I need your help,’ and I am very thankful for those who are available and able to offer help. By making a donation, your generosity and kindness will help pay for the expenses related to my treatment. These include: our mortgage, transportation to treatment, food and other necessities when I have to stay in the American Cancer Society Hope Lodge after my transplants, and many other things.

Thank you for your help, and with your kindness and support, I am determined to give everything I can to continue this journey.