Help Ray Beat Cancer!

Liza's Story: My dad's name is Ramon Negron, he is 62 years young and was employed with IBM for 38 years. My dad was the sole financial provider for our family and took care of both me and my mom. I remember him working late nights and traveling frequently to provide a good life for us. Unfortunately in 2014 he was laid off by IBM but that didn't stop him from putting his best foot forward as he went on to become a real estate agent! At this point, my dad was still getting his health care insurance through IBM but it was getting more expensive and by 2019 they'd raised their prices so much that he told me he could no longer afford coverage. I had a conversation with him at the end of last year and he told me that he was planning on dropping his health care insurance.  I wasn't happy about this decision but he reassured me that he was pretty healthy, and only 3 years away from qualifying for Medicare. I felt a little better but my dad had been having back pain since the spring of last year. He'd gone to see a specialist and even had an MRI done and everything looked clear. The doctor told him he had arthritis and stenosis and he was given an epidural to ease the pain. As time went on though, the pain only got worse, and worse, and worse. 


On February 28 my dad was getting up from the couch when all of a sudden he felt the most intense pain he'd ever felt in his life! He couldn't get up and in tears he asked my mother to please call an ambulance. The ambulance came and took him away to the hospital where they performed a CT Scan. The CT Scan showed what appeared to be a tumor in his spine (T12) so they admitted him. My dad was in the hospital for days as they continued to run lab tests on his blood and urine as well as MRIs, CT-Scans, and X-RAYS. The doctors told him his tumor looked cancerous so they performed a biopsy on both the tumor and his bone marrow and on March 6, 2020 my father was diagnosed with Plasmacytoma cancer. Plasmacytoma is a type of abnormal plasma cell growth that is cancerous. Rather than many tumors in different locations as in multiple myeloma (although Plasmacytoma is still considered a form of Myeloma), there is only one tumor, hence the name solitary plasmacytoma. A solitary plasmacytoma often develops in a bone. My dad is in a lot of pain because the tumor has eaten away at his spine. He is currently using a walker to get around the house and he also has to wear a back brace to keep his back straight. 


In order to get my dad back to his old self, he will need 10 treatments of radiation followed by chemo and then possibly surgery. Without insurance or income coming in you can imagine our world is being turned upside down.


My dad has worked so hard his entire life and I want to make sure he's taken care of the way he has taken care of me, and my mom throughout the years. He deserves the best because he's always been the best to me. Sadly, due to bad timing and him having no health care coverage, we're about to enter a very difficult time in our lives. 


We do not often ask for help, but today I am asking for a donation to help pay for medical expenses, treatments, travel, and lost income so that my dad can beat cancer! 


No donation is too small and every ounce of my heart appreciates your donations, love, support and prayers during this very difficult time. If you are unable to donate, please continue to share my dad's story. 

❤️