Help Paul Beat Esophageal Cancer

I am raising money to help support my dear friend, Paul Gardner, and his family, in his battle against Esophageal Cancer.  Paul had not been feeling well for months, he had lost 20 pounds, and was unable to eat.  His doctors were struggling to come up with a diagnosis.

First, they said they thought it was Valley Fever, a disease that is prevalent in certain parts of Arizona.  Next, they said it may be lymphoma.  After many rounds of tests, the results were finally in.  Life changed as Paul knew it on September 1st, 2011 when the doctors found 3 tumors in his esophagus.  When the biopsy results came back the next day, the news wasn\'t any better.  The diagnosis was Esophageal Cancer, Stage 4.  They also found lesions on his lungs and one on his liver.  The next piece of bad news Paul learned was that the cancer was inoperable.

He started treatment immediately at Ironwood Cancer & Research Centers in Arizona, starting with six rounds of chemotherapy.  Paul will need to have six rounds of chemo initially, and he starts his 4th round on November 10th.  The doctors want to hold off on radiation therapy to see how much success they can have with just the chemo alone. 

Paul is only 42 years old and has two young sons who need him very much; Tyler, age 9, and Andrew, age 6.  He also had a son named Justin who died of a metabolic disorder when he was only 2 1/2 days old.  Paul comes from a large, close-knit family, consisting of his mother, stepfather, grandfather, six sisters, one brother, and many nieces and nephews.  His extended family includes his loving girlfriend, Gabriela, and her daughter, Adriana, age 12, and the family dog, Shark.  Paul is the glue that holds this big family together and is greatly admired by all.   

Paul is a general contractor who runs the family-owned construction company, Masterpiece Construction, which has been doing business in the Phoenix area for more than 17 years.  They are an honest, reliable company that does good work.  He used to be very hands-on with the business, on the job site every day, but now he has to rely heavily on his crew of workers.  Paul is still able to work, but he mostly does paperwork from home, if he can.  Some days he is too tired to even do that.  Business has dropped off rapidly due to his medical condition.

At the time of his diagnosis, Paul was in the middle of a special project that is very important to him.  He had just purchased a home and was in the process of rebuilding it, literally from the ground up, for his expanding family.  Paul was doing all of the work himself, along with working full time at Masterpiece.  Unfortunately, he has been unable to finish it, due to lack of money and the toll the illness has taken on his body.  Even though they are currently living there, it is far from finished.  If I know Paul, that is probably one of the things that bothers him the most, not being able to finish the home for his family.

My friend Paul is giving, kind, and one of the most generous people I know.  Many of you have had the privilege to get to know Paul, either through work or personally, and we all know he would do anything to help if we needed it, always with a smile on his face.  In fact, I can\'t tell you how many times he has gone out of his way to help me and my family, even donating his time and materials for free.

Now is the time when Paul and his family really need us.  I am asking friends, family, co-workers, and any other folks with a generous spirit to help Paul win the fight of his life against Esophageal Cancer by donating whatever you can afford - and, I mean, anything.  Any help you can provide will take some of the stress off of Paul and his family and allow him to focus on healing.  Please send this page to anyone you know that knows Paul and his family, or anyone that has been touched by this awful disease.  We need all the prayers and help we can get.  I know times are very tough for everyone and we don\'t expect everyone to help, but if you would like to, Paul and his family would definitely appreciate it.

The money collected will go towards the annual $2,500 insurance deductible, co-pays for the meds he has to take before and after chemo, general medical expenses not covered by insurance, and lost wages from not being able to work full time.

GoFundMe allows you to use Pay-Pal or a credit card.  The funds will be dropped directly into The Paul Gardner Fund Pay-Pal account, which goes directly to him and his family.

Supporters can also send a check directly to:

The Paul Gardner Fund
P.O. Box 30786
Phoenix, AZ 85046

Thank you for all your support.  Paul has said he is going to fight this disease with all he\'s got, but he needs our help!  Please keep him in your prayers.