A group of friends are trying to help a Sweet Home woman as she battles leukemia.
Katie (Gourley) McLain was diagnosed in January with acute lymphoblastic leukemia, Wendy Younger said. Since January, she has spent about 12 weeks at Oregon Health Sciences University in Portland undergoing chemotherapy.
On June 12, she checked into OHSU again for chemotherapy, radiation treatment and a bone marrow transplant, Younger said.
She is expected to be in the hospital for about 30 days, and then she must live within 30 minutes of the hospital for another 70 days while recovering.
As of July, McLain’s financial status changes drastically, and some of her friends have set up an account at Umpqua Bank for her to help with her extended stay in Portland, Younger said. Medical bills are going to be way above what her insurance will be able to cover.
She will require 24-hour care, so family members will stay with her while she is in Portland, Younger said. The $36 per night for an extended-stay hotel is not covered by medical insurance.
McClain is a 34-year-old mother of two daughters. She works for International Paper in Albany, and her husband owns McLain Racing, an ATV and motorcycle repair shop in Sweet Home.