Help Michael Fight Cancer
Donation protected
This page is dedicated to raising funds to ease the burdens faced by Michael & Debbie Gosline.
Michael & My Mother have always been hardworking and kind-hearted people. They made the difficult decision to semi-retire and move to Florida. While they have loved visiting Florida, their move was more of a strategic decision because the cost of living in Florida is much more affordable than living in upstate New York. They are not frivolous people who live beyond their means and believed that a life in Florida would allow them to continue to work but maybe at a slower pace than remaining in New York would require them to.
Before their move, Michael was unwell. He'd lost weight and was having a variety of issues that doctors failed to diagnose. He pushed through and didn't complain because that's just what people like Michael and My Mom do; they keep going because they have to, and that's just the way it is.
Michael & My Mom aren't materialistic. They sold the majority of their belongings to increase their savings and allow them to travel light. As they started to pack their home, Michael developed a persistent pain that was relentless, leaving My Mom to do most of the packing. They said their goodbyes and headed south, heartbroken to leave the friends and family that mean so much to them behind.
During the trip south, Michael was tired and weak. It became clear before they had a chance to unpack that something was seriously wrong with Michael's health, and Michael was hospitalized. They had hoped once they settled into their Florida residence that they would both begin working. Even though they were semi-retired, their plan was always to continue to be active in the workforce, but their plans were delayed while the doctors kept Michael hospitalized. They hoped whatever bug or infection that Michael had picked up would clear his system under constant medical care, and they could resume their plans.
Then came the news that no one had expected, the doctors found a tumor on one of Michael's lungs. Scans to determine the size of the tumor were inconclusive because Michael had developed pneumonia. When a tumor is found, you hope for the best; however, after a biopsy, they determined that he has cancer. People don't tell you that even when you get a diagnosis of cancer that it still takes days that feel like an eternity before you know the type of cancer and how it will be treated. Michael remained hospitalized until pneumonia had cleared and was finally released and able to come home with My Mom to wait out the determination.
On Tuesday, March 24, Michael was diagnosed with stage 2 lung cancer. In typical Mike & Debbie fashion rather than see take this as terrible news, they were grateful that it wasn't worse. The plan was for Michael to begin treatment immediately. He has started chemotherapy, which consists of three consecutive days of treatment followed by a few weeks of a break then repeating that process into September. This treatment costs $250 per treatment, which is a cost they are paying out of pocket.
As you can imagine, the cost of the unexpected hospital stay and chemotherapy treatments has been overwhelming. Their savings have been depleted. Michael is physically unable to work. My Mom is acting as Michael's caretaker, not that Michael requires constant care, but he does require more help than he would ever admit or acknowledge. My Mom hasn't developed a client base as a hairdresser; if she had, COVID19 would have brought that to a standstill, but she would have still been able to anticipate future income.
At this time, Michael & My Mother’s finances are strained, and their resources are limited. There is very little that friends and family can do to help them from afar, and it makes us feel helpless. While I know they appreciate the moral support they are receiving, and they are far too proud to ever ask anyone for anything more than your thoughts & prayers, they could use a little financial help. Please think about anything you might have done to help them along while they were still in New York. Maybe you would have brought them a meal, stopped over and visited with a couple of beers, thrown some light work in Mike's direction, or maybe had MY Mom do your hair when you didn't need it & tipped her a bit more. There is nothing that we can do to relieve the burden of fear and anxiety that comes with cancer, treatment, and aftercare. However, we could try to help to ease the stress of their financial burden.
Thank you for helping in any way that you are able.
Michael & My Mother have always been hardworking and kind-hearted people. They made the difficult decision to semi-retire and move to Florida. While they have loved visiting Florida, their move was more of a strategic decision because the cost of living in Florida is much more affordable than living in upstate New York. They are not frivolous people who live beyond their means and believed that a life in Florida would allow them to continue to work but maybe at a slower pace than remaining in New York would require them to.
Before their move, Michael was unwell. He'd lost weight and was having a variety of issues that doctors failed to diagnose. He pushed through and didn't complain because that's just what people like Michael and My Mom do; they keep going because they have to, and that's just the way it is.
Michael & My Mom aren't materialistic. They sold the majority of their belongings to increase their savings and allow them to travel light. As they started to pack their home, Michael developed a persistent pain that was relentless, leaving My Mom to do most of the packing. They said their goodbyes and headed south, heartbroken to leave the friends and family that mean so much to them behind.
During the trip south, Michael was tired and weak. It became clear before they had a chance to unpack that something was seriously wrong with Michael's health, and Michael was hospitalized. They had hoped once they settled into their Florida residence that they would both begin working. Even though they were semi-retired, their plan was always to continue to be active in the workforce, but their plans were delayed while the doctors kept Michael hospitalized. They hoped whatever bug or infection that Michael had picked up would clear his system under constant medical care, and they could resume their plans.
Then came the news that no one had expected, the doctors found a tumor on one of Michael's lungs. Scans to determine the size of the tumor were inconclusive because Michael had developed pneumonia. When a tumor is found, you hope for the best; however, after a biopsy, they determined that he has cancer. People don't tell you that even when you get a diagnosis of cancer that it still takes days that feel like an eternity before you know the type of cancer and how it will be treated. Michael remained hospitalized until pneumonia had cleared and was finally released and able to come home with My Mom to wait out the determination.
On Tuesday, March 24, Michael was diagnosed with stage 2 lung cancer. In typical Mike & Debbie fashion rather than see take this as terrible news, they were grateful that it wasn't worse. The plan was for Michael to begin treatment immediately. He has started chemotherapy, which consists of three consecutive days of treatment followed by a few weeks of a break then repeating that process into September. This treatment costs $250 per treatment, which is a cost they are paying out of pocket.
As you can imagine, the cost of the unexpected hospital stay and chemotherapy treatments has been overwhelming. Their savings have been depleted. Michael is physically unable to work. My Mom is acting as Michael's caretaker, not that Michael requires constant care, but he does require more help than he would ever admit or acknowledge. My Mom hasn't developed a client base as a hairdresser; if she had, COVID19 would have brought that to a standstill, but she would have still been able to anticipate future income.
At this time, Michael & My Mother’s finances are strained, and their resources are limited. There is very little that friends and family can do to help them from afar, and it makes us feel helpless. While I know they appreciate the moral support they are receiving, and they are far too proud to ever ask anyone for anything more than your thoughts & prayers, they could use a little financial help. Please think about anything you might have done to help them along while they were still in New York. Maybe you would have brought them a meal, stopped over and visited with a couple of beers, thrown some light work in Mike's direction, or maybe had MY Mom do your hair when you didn't need it & tipped her a bit more. There is nothing that we can do to relieve the burden of fear and anxiety that comes with cancer, treatment, and aftercare. However, we could try to help to ease the stress of their financial burden.
Thank you for helping in any way that you are able.
Organizer and beneficiary
Paige Bonitatibus
Organizer
Queensbury, NY
Michael Gosline
Beneficiary