Come In for Ken
Feb 14, 2020 12:00AM ● By By Seti Long
The Aldrich family needs your help! Pictured left to right: Mckenzie Adlrich, Ken Aldrich, Terri Aldrich. Photo provided by Ken Aldrich
GRIDLEY, CA (MPG) - A member of the Gridley Unified School District Family and Gridley community, is about to undergo a life-saving transplant procedure and needs your help.
Recently, Ken Aldrich was diagnosed with a rare form of bone marrow cancer called Myelofibrosis. Myelofibrosis disrupts the body’s ability to produce normal blood cells. The condition causes scarring in the bone marrow, leading to severe anemia, weakness and fatigue. Left untreated, it can be fatal.
Aldrich has dedicated 41.5 years of his life to the Gridley Unified School District, faculty and students until complications from Myelofibrosis forced him to retire. His wife Terri, who has worked for the GUSD for years, has taken an early retirement to care and support her husband as their family embarks on this journey.
On February 11th, Aldrich will begin a treatment procedure at Stanford that will require a 6- week hospital stay and require the family to live in the area for up to 6 months for monitoring after the recovery period. Aldrich will undergo an extremely aggressive form of chemotherapy after which, Doctors will then begin the transplant process. Finding a donor can be difficult, but luckily for Ken, his sister is a match.
A “Go fund me” account under Ken Aldrich Medical Expenses has been set up to help with his already accruing healthcare costs, the graduating class of ‘79 has set up a Venmo account for him, and monetary donations can be made at Bank of the West in Gridley. On February 18th, from 4:30 to 9:00 pm, Round Table Pizza will host “Come In for Ken” – an educational evening for bone marrow testing and donation awareness, with a portion of proceeds supporting the cause. On March 10th, come out to Casa Lupe for an all-day fundraiser to help with the Aldrich family’s medical costs.
Ken said, “I want to say that the support and friendship and, you know, help, has been so overwhelming…. There’s no way to possibly thank all of these people for everything that they’ve done. You know, and they’re not just supporting me, they’re supporting my family.”
