Heroes needed for Manny & Debra in San Francisco

I believe in heroes. Why? Because I am married to one.  Manny, the love of my life, was a hero long before he faced the exhausting battle for his life against Stage 4 liver disease and liver cancer. Today, with a jumble of embarrassment, fear, and hope, I reach out to you through GoFundMe because we can no longer sustain this fight without your help. You will notice that this campaign was created many months ago, but is only now being published for the first time. Manny, ever the noble and private man, has been fighting this terrible disease quietly with an unrelenting passion for three years. It's been a journey we have taken together, day-by-day, ups and downs, joys and sadness, ethereal hopefulness and bitter reality. Spend any time with Manny and you will understand how difficult it is for him to allow me to reach out to you in love about our dire situation. Years of fighting such a virulent and cruel disease have exhausted our earning capacity, savings, our retirement accounts, and the wonderful benevolence of our family. Living life with this extraordinarily strong and giving man has taught me to believe that we are surrounded by heroes unseen. I refuse to acquiesce to the forlorn motifs of apathy, cruelty, and intolerance foisted on us as reality today. Instead, I ask with confident hope for your help in our desperate fight. Your financial generosity will sustain us in our day-to-day subsistence, help bear the oppressive cost of medical insurance, sustain Manny's out of network medical treatments,  and allow us to service the crushing debt that threatens to inundate us.  Please consider partnering with us financially, help us inform others of this GoFundMe campaign, and most importantly, please join us as we walk alongside Manny in prayer and encouragement. We all can be heroes, even if it is just for one day.



Getting to know Emmanuel von der Groeben: A 50-year resident and lover of San Francisco, Manny is a dedicated husband and father who is defined by his compassion for and acceptance of others. Think of him as the tall, statuesque man that, with a look or comment, encourages others to feel they are not alone in the world. He is the one who, just by his presence, helped you feel safer on BART or Muni. He may have introduced you to the beauty of the city, turning a taxi ride into a momentary journey with a fellow traveler. He is likely the cable guy that you found yourself inexplicably sharing your life-story with. He is the quiet man that somehow helped you feel safer while you walked alongside him as you perused the eclectic shops and enchanting architecture in the Haight. He is not every man, but instead, beside him is a solid place where we can stand in this dry and dreary land, a man who gives hope in the uncertainty of tomorrow, and brings peace in troubled times.



Team Shrader:
Moving to San Francisco over forty years ago, I have had the privilege to be a career medical professional in one of the finest cities in the world. Whether working with patients, advocating for their care with healthcare providers, or validating the effectiveness of care delivery, I have dedicated my life to bringing about health and wholeness for others. For years, the man living in the apartment upstairs on Shrader Street always diverted my attention from whatever I was doing. Raising his son with a loving engagement I found fascinatingly refreshing, I wondered how this quiet man managed to bring a sense of peaceful acceptance just by his presence. Falling more in love with him each day has been an unimaginable journey. Others would have collapsed under the challenges his diagnosis inflicts. I am so proud of him for his strength, selflessness, and unflagging hope. My prayer is that through your support and prayers, Manny will be invigorated to continue his fight against this terrible disease. Your outpouring of love will reinforce the peace that comes from knowing that his loved ones are surrounded by heroes.    



Please support this GoFundMe campaign by making a donation and then by sharing the site address with anyone whose lives you think Manny has touched over the decades. By giving and sharing the site with others you join what I call Team Shrader, dedicated to showing this wonderful man how much we love and appreciate him. Believe me, this experience has taught me what it is like for money to be tight, so please know that no gift is too small. Know that we love you all. Please let me know if you have any questions and I’ll be sure to share how you have made a difference in this exhausting journey.