Harley Man 69
So, I never imagined I'd be here right now, writing this, especially for my big brother. Life is truly a bucket of lemons sometimes.
For those of you who don't already know, at the age of 40, only weeks after his retirement from 20 years as a police officer, my brother Joe was diagnosed with an extrememly rare form of Leukemia called 'Hairy Cell'. There is no real answer to the why and the how, I guess it's just the luck of the draw.
The silver lining (if you can call it that) is there are a couple of treatments for this particular condition that have been relatively successful over the years. Joe had his first treatment back in 2010 and got back to full strength after a few months of rehabilitation and was considered in remission.
Over this past summer, he unfortunately relapsed. His primary oncologist was set to administer the same treatment he had given Joe 6 years ago. However, he found out about a case study being performed in Bethesda Maryland by Dr. Robert J. Kreitman who has dedicated his life to researching and improving the treatment for Hairy Cell Leukemia. People come from all over the world for a treatment that only Dr. Kreitman can administer via this government supported case study. So blessed we feel to have this unique opportunity happening relatively close to home.
After weeks of testing and frustrating paper work, Joe was accepted to the case study and has begun treatment with Dr. Kreitman. Last week was the most intense, a 12 day ordeal of spinal tapping, blood testing and chemo. I'm happy to say Joe got through it as well as anyone could hope. Over the past few years I have found out how strong of a person my brother really is, and I am in awe of him everyday.
I just retuned from a 3 day trip with Joe, because he needs to return to Maryland once a week for 6 weeks to complete the trial. While treatment is covered, this has been a very expensive ordeal for him in regards to travel and hotels, etc. It is my hope that we can raise some money to help his through this difficult, since of course he had to take a leave from his job.
Our goal is to raise $5,000 to help him with some of the out of pocket costs. I know Joe is loved by many, which is evident by the recent gesture of kindness from the electricians union he works for, who had a fundraiser while he is away and donated $1,200 to his fight against cancer.
I thank you in advance for any amount you can donate, and our family is strong, we will stand behind him and we will get him through this.
We fight one day at a time, it's all we know how to do. As my father always says - keep the faith.
Regards,
Brian
For those of you who don't already know, at the age of 40, only weeks after his retirement from 20 years as a police officer, my brother Joe was diagnosed with an extrememly rare form of Leukemia called 'Hairy Cell'. There is no real answer to the why and the how, I guess it's just the luck of the draw.
The silver lining (if you can call it that) is there are a couple of treatments for this particular condition that have been relatively successful over the years. Joe had his first treatment back in 2010 and got back to full strength after a few months of rehabilitation and was considered in remission.
Over this past summer, he unfortunately relapsed. His primary oncologist was set to administer the same treatment he had given Joe 6 years ago. However, he found out about a case study being performed in Bethesda Maryland by Dr. Robert J. Kreitman who has dedicated his life to researching and improving the treatment for Hairy Cell Leukemia. People come from all over the world for a treatment that only Dr. Kreitman can administer via this government supported case study. So blessed we feel to have this unique opportunity happening relatively close to home.
After weeks of testing and frustrating paper work, Joe was accepted to the case study and has begun treatment with Dr. Kreitman. Last week was the most intense, a 12 day ordeal of spinal tapping, blood testing and chemo. I'm happy to say Joe got through it as well as anyone could hope. Over the past few years I have found out how strong of a person my brother really is, and I am in awe of him everyday.
I just retuned from a 3 day trip with Joe, because he needs to return to Maryland once a week for 6 weeks to complete the trial. While treatment is covered, this has been a very expensive ordeal for him in regards to travel and hotels, etc. It is my hope that we can raise some money to help his through this difficult, since of course he had to take a leave from his job.
Our goal is to raise $5,000 to help him with some of the out of pocket costs. I know Joe is loved by many, which is evident by the recent gesture of kindness from the electricians union he works for, who had a fundraiser while he is away and donated $1,200 to his fight against cancer.
I thank you in advance for any amount you can donate, and our family is strong, we will stand behind him and we will get him through this.
We fight one day at a time, it's all we know how to do. As my father always says - keep the faith.
Regards,
Brian
Organizer and beneficiary
Brian Bertini
Organizer
Chesapeake, VA
Joseph Bertini
Beneficiary