Jamie's Road to Recovery

Jamie Bufalino is beautiful, she is a mother of 2 children and a caring wife, daughter, aunt, sister, friend to all. Jamie has always been very healthy, almost never even getting a cold, but this fall 2015 she started to get headaches. Around the holidays the headaches increased in frequency and intensity, then in January it made her dizzy. This prompted worry, but still just thinking they were migraines like her mother, and her aunts suffer from. Her husband Anthony took her to the doctor and she started migraine medication and followed up the next week with an MRI test. Anthony and Jamie went to the MRI thinking it was just routine, that they would go out for lunch afterwards since grandma and grandpa had the baby and Sarah was in school. It all changed February 9th, During the exam the doctors found a large mass on her right frontal lobe and sent Jamie directly to the emergency room where doctors were waiting for her. The Neuro Surgeon briefed them on what was found and the only option is to have an emergency craniotomy Surgery to remove as much of the tumor as possible. The tumor was inside and outside the brain. After 7 long hours, the surgery was a success, however due to the delicate location of the tumor the surgeons were not able to remove all of it. To everyone's relief, the preliminary biopsy results appeared to be inflammation and not cancer. Our hearts sank 2 days later when the final pathology report came in as Anaplastic Astrocytoma grade 3 possibly grade 4 an aggressive Malignant Cancer tumor that grew over only the past 6 months was determined by tests. Jamie will be treated by Memorial Sloan Kettering and the doctors plan is to treat Jamie for a whole year.


Jamie was getting ready to start chemotherapy and radiation with Memorial Sloan Kettering hospital to treat this stage III cancerous brain tumor when an unexpected complication occurred. A horrible infection developed that traveled to her incision along with the bone flap from the tumor removal. She had to go for emergency surgery again and have a portion of her skull removed. She is currently recovering in the ICU and has a long term IV Picc line that is embedded in her so she can receive antibiotics for the next 6-8 weeks for treatment of the infection. Unfortunately with this major setback she has lost her spot in the clinical trial with Sloan Kettering and cancer treatment has been postponed until the infection is fully cleared. During the emergency surgery a portion of Jamie's skull was removed and discarded but her skull can be reconstructed sometime down the road. Jamie will go home on heavy duty antibiotic therapy through IV just to beat this infection, Anthony has been trained to care for her and administer the medicine 3 times a day via the Picc Line.

Throughout all of this Jamie is staying courageous and brave, Jamie is strong willed and has endured indescribable pain these past couple of weeks. She has fought like a warrior and wants to get past this infection to start her cancer treatment. She has fought since the first day, she's tough and a mother will fight harder than anyone for her children.  There is no doubt in my mind that she will fight and beat this, she has the faith, strength, dedication and support from her family and friends to fight the ongoing battle with this deadly disease. T

Jamie is a wonderful and caring person, dedicated wife, loving mother, daughter, aunt, coworker and friend. The goal of this site is to help raise money for Jamie and her family to ease some of the financial stress during this difficult time and assist them with medical bills and household expenses over this year of treatment. In addition to Jamie being unable to work, her husband Anthony has been taking care of the household while providing love and support to their 8 year old daughter Sarah and 3 year old son Vincent while struggling with his own ongoing health issues from long term exposure to Lyme disease and his health setback just 6 months ago turned along with seizures slowed his ability to work as well.

Anything you can do to help out would be greatly appreciated! Please pass this along to other family members and friends or anyone you feel would like to assist. Churches, organizations, businesses, any other avenue that can help. This is a family who helps their own community, the Bufalino family rallied for the victims of Hurricane Sandy. They did so many things for them, collecting clothes for children and adults, blankets, food, diapers and toys, Jamie and sarah baked cupcakes for each family they were supporting all along teaching Sarah the real values in life and caring for your own community. All this while Jamie was 8 months pregnant at the time and still thinking of others. Out of this they created their own toy drive for Christmas for the past 3 years called Kid Kringle, they helped hundreds of families have toys for their kids on Christmas morning. This family is active in their church, the School PTA and coaching youth soccer team. We hope that their generosity and spirit is now coming back to help them in this battle they face together.

THANK YOU for all for the love and support and words of encouragement to our family, and I truly appreciate any donation that you give at this time and in future.

My entire family THANKS YOU from the bottom of our hearts as we look forward to helping Jamie out during her recovery!







UPDATE 8/12/2017

Sloan Kettering Doctors Orders:
What: Vacation, rest and relaxation
When: Right Now, next 2 weeks
Where: A Beach with Palm trees, Miami?
Who: Jamie and Anthony
How: All of us, Everyone, Anyone donations


A year ago today, Jamie was in hospital fighting for her life after multiple brain surgeries to remove tumor was worsen by a major infection. Jamie spent the summer in ICU enduring severe pain, fevers from infection and 3 surgeries over July, August and finally home beginning of September. My brother Anthony never left Jamie's side, slept on a chair next to her the whole time. Jamie and Anthony would dream and stay motivated and say next August we will be on a vacation. Jamie recovered enough to be home just days before school started for the kids, and spent the next 3 months connected to an IV picc line in her arm , IV antibiotics every 4 hours. Anthony was her nurse and administered all her treatments every 4 hours, all the medications, shots, caring for Jamie, scheduling and going to doctors, the kids and school, the house he did it all, amazing. After the IV antibiotics were done Jamie started chemo in December. Then 2017 starts off hard , Jamie was in Sloan Kettering often with extreme headaches, nausea, weakness, confusion persisted and Jamie fought hard to be herself everyday. MRI testing showed that the tumor recurred again and now another tumor has been discovered on the other side of her brain. This is an aggressive cancer and despite the chemo treatments the tumors infiltrated. Then doctors started a new chemo drug that is very Harsh and has a new list of problems that come with it. Jamie started this chemo is end of March and did this treatment every month since. She has proven herself to be an inspiration of courage and fights everyday against all the symptoms and she still smiles and still stays positive. Jamie still makes everyone feel ok no matter how she is feeling. Anthony by her side every day caring for Jamie, Sarah and Vincent. This new chemo causes major blood issues, every month Jamie levels so low they cause extreme fatigue as well as all the other symptoms that come with chemo.
Now just this month MRI shows that this chemo hasn't been as effective as we all prayed for, after 5 treatments of this harsh chemo the tumors persist. This harsh chemo leaving Jamie with lowest blood values she's ever had. So, doctors orders where to take a break. Let the blood values improve. Doctors both told Jamie flat out to take a vacation, take a break, take time for you and your husband, and take it now. Live for now, take this window of opportunity. The doctors explained, This disease is unpredictable and very hard to treat, and recurrence occurred so fast and many times already. The tumors are in locations that can not be surgically removed. So before we start another chemo drug, a drug that is even harder to tolerate, take this opportunity and go away. Doctor Carver suggested they fly to Miami Beach, he has a plan of medication to help Jamie fly, he likes Miami, not a bad suggestion.
Jamie and Anthony have the next 2 weeks off, no doctors no treatments or test for 2 weeks.
If anyone deserves a break, a few days for themselves to reflect, a few days away from all the worry, the stress the house and bills! Back to school coming, We all know what stress can do, now imagine the stress they are under right now. Jamie and Anthony deserve a little vacation!! Jamie and Anthony need this, let's help make their memories great. Let's buy them a drink, dinner or flights to Miami!! Anything donated will help them tremendously! If you donated last year, thank you that helped the family get through last year, let's continue that spirit and support of love. They need help now too. Support this page and promote it, share it now with everyone.
The entire Bufalino and Januszkiewicz Families thank you all for the support and love bestowed upon this beautiful family. Jamie and Anthony are always commenting on how grateful they are for the support, their family, friends and community are always there for them doing somthing to help. Cancer will not defeat Love.