Blessings and Prayers for Bob Marsh

Robert Otis Marsh aka Bob aka Otis aka Bobby If you know Bob, you know he's always the life of the party. A man who is always there when you need him, often before you have the chance to ask. A man who is fiercely loyal. A man who loves his family and friends above all else. That’s because Bob Marsh is one of the most selfless people in the world. Bob has worked hard his whole life to provide for his family. Devoted husband, father, son, brother, grandfather, and friend. What Happened? On Superbowl Sunday Bob found out he has a huge project of his own that he needs help with, and we are driving a movement to seek out supporters. Saturday night before the game, Bob was prepping recipes for the next day’s feast when he felt wobbly for bit, but just shrugged it off and kept cooking. On Sunday morning Bob was at the weekly Marsh Men breakfast with his father Bill, and brothers David and Larry. They were just finishing up when Bob suddenly slumped into David’s arms. EMTs responded quickly and took Bob to the ER, where they did a CT scan…which identified a mass on Bob’s brain. He was transferred to Huntington Memorial and scheduled for a craniotomy on Tuesday morning. The team removed as much of the mass as possible and sent it out for a routine biopsy. His daughter Shannon arrived from Georgia and stayed bedside with her dad, where his wife, Dawn, and his son, William, had been standing vigil. Bob recovered quickly from the surgery and they took him home Thursday afternoon. Everyone was in a celebratory mood for the entirety of next week as Bob concentrated on healing, and recapturing some motor and language skills that seemed to be affected. Life was getting back to normal in the Marsh household. The Results Fast-forward to Friday, staple removing and biopsy results day. They sat down with the neurosurgeon to hear the results and go home. Everyone was optimistic and smiling, completely unprepared for the heart wrenching news the doctor was about to deliver. Bob’s mass was diagnosed as glioblastoma, a completely unpredictable and aggressive form of brain cancer which has no exemplar treatments due to its unique characteristics. The doctor gave the Marsh family some information from The American Brain Tumor Association, a name of an oncologist, a radiologist, a neurologist and advised them to “let us know if you have any questions.” What now? Understandably, the family spent the weekend semi-sequestered, answering questions with tears and hugs. Disability was mandated which, if you know Bob, will be philosophically and physically crushing. There is constant dialogue about ensuring quality of life for patients. What about patients who are worried about the quality of life for their family that is so intense that it adversely affects their treatment?   So now it’s time to move forward, to live in the now, to sharpen that carpenter’s pencil and draw plans for building Bob’s new life. We are reaching out to help Bob mitigate his worry…you know he fusses over the details. This is not time for Bob to worry. How You Can Help This is a call to action to anyone that Bob has touched throughout the years or if you would simply like to help ease his burden.  Because Bob is unable to return to work, we aren’t sure yet what the family will need going forward. We do know they need your positive thoughts and prayers. We will be updating frequently, using this platform to keep everyone posted with the latest developments. Please share this campaign freely, pray fiercely, and give with abandon. #bobsblessings