This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Community Corner

Dixon Man Starts Long Trek After Bone Marrow Transplant

Alan Anderson is trying to heal after a bone marrow transplant at Stanford Medical Center; A card or letter could really lift his spirits and show support

If you have a place in your heart to help or a few minutes of extra time, there is a young man from Dixon who just finished having a bone marrow transplant who could use some cheery notes from his Dixon community.

“I’m doing better than I should be,” said a soft spoken Alan Anderson -- the 24-year-old Solano College student and member of who was diagnosed with Stage 3 Testicular Cancer two years ago. The 2005 graduate is trying to heal while being confined to his small hospital room at Stanford Medical Center near Palo Alto, where he will stay another four to five weeks, then there will be another four weeks of outpatient time.

Because time was of the essence, the transplant took place before his platelet count was as high as it should have been, he explained over the phone.

Find out what's happening in Dixonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

“I can take phone calls but this is hard. It is really tough,” he said. “I read my Bible every day — it is a beacon for my troubling thoughts. I find solace there. I have my laptop, my phone, and my iPod to listen to music. I try to keep busy. I’m trying to fight this.”

Alan was happy his mom, Janelle Bogue, brought him some coloring materials.

Find out what's happening in Dixonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

“He’s in a lot of pain,” said his brother Nathan Anderson. “And, he’s lonely. He’s sectioned off because of his immune system and can’t even go out to visit nurses. No children can visit either. We can only go up so much,” he said, adding that the family doesn’t have the means to keep going back and forth for visits.

“One of the pastors and a couple of the girls from the youth group went to see him this past week,” said Liz Robben from Cornerstone Baptist Church where the family attends and where Alan was very involved volunteering for the children’s programs.

“He was at church about three weeks ago and he looked fabulous but it's kind of a wave thing -- it goes up and it goes down,” Robben said. “We miss him because he hasn’t been able to be here. He was a mentor for a lot of the younger children.”

She wanted the public reminded that the church still has an account open for Alan and they still have ‘Hope in Action’ T-shirts for $10 and some small donations that keep bringing in some funds for the family.

It helps to defray the overwhelming expenses the family is incurring, she said, and the group keeps track of hotel, food, and transportation expenses that they try to help with.

“They are flat broke but they are so humble -- even as part of our congregation they don’t want to take advantage of anyone or anything,” said Robben. “They live very simply. His mother had to have surgery on her foot recently, too. And I know Thom (Bogue) is working non-stop.”

If anyone wants to send a card to Alan, it can be sent to Stanford Medical Center, Alan Anderson, Room 121, 300 Pasteur Dr., Stanford, CA. 94305. If you’d like to make a contribution for the family, send it to ‘Hope in Action’ at Cornerstone Church, 185 W. Cherry Street, Dixon, CA 95620 or call Pastor Frank Salamone at (707) 678-5234.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?

More from Dixon