Jack Casey Fund
Donation protected
Imagine most of your life struggling with migraines.
Imagine trying to endure these debilitating headaches, indescribable pain in your head causing violent illness for days at a time while trying to maintain your school schedule, your sports schedule and all that "regular life" throws at you.
Imagine one day someone says, "Let's run some tests"...
Imagine a phone call, the proverbial worst nightmare kind of phone call. The nightmare has a name, Oligodenroglioma, a slow growing but currently incurable brain tumor.
You think, how did Jack, a premier high school athlete, play basketball, soccer and lacrosse with a brain tumor?
How did Jack- just not participate- but be integral in his team winning two State Championships in soccer with a brain tumor? He co-captained that soccer team and was a Tri-Captain of the lacrosse team and as goalie helped lead that team to their first ever State Tournament qualification. How did he do it?
Well, he did, and while he was at it he achieved academic honors all four years and received East Catholic's Major Mike Donnely Falcons Cry Award at graduation. An award which is presented to an outstanding athlete who maintained honor grades while being known and respected for his integrity, honesty and hard work. In addition to being talented athletically and scholastically he was also a generous volunteer. Jack spent many hours at the West Hartford Police Union Tent during Celebrate West Hartford annual events and also cooked at the West Hartford Police Senior Picnic for many years.
Jack continued his education at Assumption College. He routinely made the Dean's list during his four years there while participating in nine intramural sports. He graduated Cum Laude in 2011 and was inducted into the National Honor Society for Psychology and Sociology all the while unknowing the silent tumor was slowly growing.
Upon graduation Jack accepted a position at Apple, Inc but was recruited for another position in 2013 which unfortunately coincided with the diagnosis of his brain tumor.
Everything stops in regular life. Life is a whirlwind of neurologists, neurosurgeons, neuro-oncologists, CT scans, MRI's which now take up the entirety of your life.
Esteemed doctors at Mass General and Dana Farber guide you through the necessary steps the first of which involves a seven and a half hour open craniotomy, an "awake craniotomy" as if the prospect weren't scary enough. A large portion of Jack's frontal lobe was removed in order to "debulk" the tumor and hopefully cause less pressure on his brain. The effects cause a struggle at times with short term memory, an increase in headaches and migraines, fatigue and seizures. Even with all this Jack manages to work full time in the IT field for the Town of Cromwell at their high school.
Jack requires frequent and close follow up at the prestigious Dana Farber Cancer Institute and Mass General Hospital. Recently his physicians recommended he begin chemo and radiation therapy.
Mass General houses the only Proton Radiation instrument in New England and it is thought that using proton radiation better targets a patient's tumor while leaving nearby tissue healthy--perfect for a young brain! Jack's insurance company has reviewed and denied to pay for the recommended radiation because they consider it experimental. Since the cost of the treatment is estimated to be $200,000 Jack's financial situation precludes his opting for the highly precise proton radiation that his oncologist recommended in favor of the more conventional photon radiation.
These hospital and doctor scenes are an unfortunate deja vu as, incredibly, Jack lost his only sibling in 2004. Connor was born with many problems and was profoundly delayed. In his nine years of life he could not see or hear, walk or talk or even eat but he had one of the greatest belly laughs you would ever want to hear. Jack and his parents loved Connor into living those nine years with round the clock care whether changing feeding tubes or just holding, loving, and cherishing him.
People ask how could so much suffering be visited on one family? We don't know, we just know that each day, with a steely resolve, they keep putting one foot in front of the other. They wait, they hope, and they pray for the miracle...
This family carries a heavy emotional burden as well as a financial one. Family and friends have started this fund in order to facilitate choices of care not based on the price tag but on the potential to improve Jack's quality of live and his future. All monies donated will be used for medical appointments, testing, treatment, medications, co-pays as well as travel costs, stays and living expenses required by the six to eight week period of radiation treatment and accompanying chemotherapy which may cause extended absences from work.
Jack, his family, and many friends extend their most heartfelt thanks for your love and support at this most challenging time.
Imagine trying to endure these debilitating headaches, indescribable pain in your head causing violent illness for days at a time while trying to maintain your school schedule, your sports schedule and all that "regular life" throws at you.
Imagine one day someone says, "Let's run some tests"...
Imagine a phone call, the proverbial worst nightmare kind of phone call. The nightmare has a name, Oligodenroglioma, a slow growing but currently incurable brain tumor.
You think, how did Jack, a premier high school athlete, play basketball, soccer and lacrosse with a brain tumor?
How did Jack- just not participate- but be integral in his team winning two State Championships in soccer with a brain tumor? He co-captained that soccer team and was a Tri-Captain of the lacrosse team and as goalie helped lead that team to their first ever State Tournament qualification. How did he do it?
Well, he did, and while he was at it he achieved academic honors all four years and received East Catholic's Major Mike Donnely Falcons Cry Award at graduation. An award which is presented to an outstanding athlete who maintained honor grades while being known and respected for his integrity, honesty and hard work. In addition to being talented athletically and scholastically he was also a generous volunteer. Jack spent many hours at the West Hartford Police Union Tent during Celebrate West Hartford annual events and also cooked at the West Hartford Police Senior Picnic for many years.
Jack continued his education at Assumption College. He routinely made the Dean's list during his four years there while participating in nine intramural sports. He graduated Cum Laude in 2011 and was inducted into the National Honor Society for Psychology and Sociology all the while unknowing the silent tumor was slowly growing.
Upon graduation Jack accepted a position at Apple, Inc but was recruited for another position in 2013 which unfortunately coincided with the diagnosis of his brain tumor.
Everything stops in regular life. Life is a whirlwind of neurologists, neurosurgeons, neuro-oncologists, CT scans, MRI's which now take up the entirety of your life.
Esteemed doctors at Mass General and Dana Farber guide you through the necessary steps the first of which involves a seven and a half hour open craniotomy, an "awake craniotomy" as if the prospect weren't scary enough. A large portion of Jack's frontal lobe was removed in order to "debulk" the tumor and hopefully cause less pressure on his brain. The effects cause a struggle at times with short term memory, an increase in headaches and migraines, fatigue and seizures. Even with all this Jack manages to work full time in the IT field for the Town of Cromwell at their high school.
Jack requires frequent and close follow up at the prestigious Dana Farber Cancer Institute and Mass General Hospital. Recently his physicians recommended he begin chemo and radiation therapy.
Mass General houses the only Proton Radiation instrument in New England and it is thought that using proton radiation better targets a patient's tumor while leaving nearby tissue healthy--perfect for a young brain! Jack's insurance company has reviewed and denied to pay for the recommended radiation because they consider it experimental. Since the cost of the treatment is estimated to be $200,000 Jack's financial situation precludes his opting for the highly precise proton radiation that his oncologist recommended in favor of the more conventional photon radiation.
These hospital and doctor scenes are an unfortunate deja vu as, incredibly, Jack lost his only sibling in 2004. Connor was born with many problems and was profoundly delayed. In his nine years of life he could not see or hear, walk or talk or even eat but he had one of the greatest belly laughs you would ever want to hear. Jack and his parents loved Connor into living those nine years with round the clock care whether changing feeding tubes or just holding, loving, and cherishing him.
People ask how could so much suffering be visited on one family? We don't know, we just know that each day, with a steely resolve, they keep putting one foot in front of the other. They wait, they hope, and they pray for the miracle...
This family carries a heavy emotional burden as well as a financial one. Family and friends have started this fund in order to facilitate choices of care not based on the price tag but on the potential to improve Jack's quality of live and his future. All monies donated will be used for medical appointments, testing, treatment, medications, co-pays as well as travel costs, stays and living expenses required by the six to eight week period of radiation treatment and accompanying chemotherapy which may cause extended absences from work.
Jack, his family, and many friends extend their most heartfelt thanks for your love and support at this most challenging time.
Organizer and beneficiary
Louann D'Angelo
Organizer
Wethersfield, CT
John Casey
Beneficiary
