After doctors diagnosed Mike Leibrandt with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) in June of 2020, the 285-mile drive from McCook, Nebraska, to Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha, Nebraska, became familiar.

"The car pretty much knows the way back and forth," says Mike's wife, Pat. "First coming into Omaha is kind of stressful, too. All those lanes of traffic we aren't used to and the way people drive." 

A leukemia diagnosis is stressful enough, but Mike faced his first inpatient stay during a pandemic when no visitors were allowed at the hospital. He's now on his fourth hospitalization since his diagnosis, the most recent stay following a vital stem cell transplant. 

With her husband's health at the top of her mind, Pat also worried about bills piling up.

"Wondering where the money is going to come from to pay for all of this," she explains. "The trips back and forth and the hotel stays. It's a lot to take in."

The Leibrandts learned about the Patient and Family Experience Fund from social worker Jody O'Doherty, LCSW, who told them some funds were available to pay for the hotel Pat stays in while Mike is receiving treatment.

"She's been a really big help to us. I don't think we could have gotten this far without help from everyone," Pat says.

The Patient and Family Experience Fund assists hundreds of patients and their families each year by helping them with everyday needs such as lodging, meals, gas cards and transportation. You can make a donation here. 

Pat looks forward to returning to McCook with Mike and making that four-hour drive a lot less often. And she's incredibly thankful for the donors behind the Patient and Family Experience Fund.

"It has helped us so much with lodging. It helped with the worry of what we were going to do for money. It has helped us out tremendously," Pat says.

"God bless the donors," Mike adds. "We are so grateful for the help."