Greg (Marty) Martinez Biology Teacher Cancer Care

My name is Julia.  I am Greg's sister.  For those of you that know my brother, asking for this kind of help and assistance is extremely hard, but as a lifelong Pleasanton resident and Foothill High School Alumni we are asking for your support. In September 2019, Greg went to the doctor because he found a lump in the back of his upper thigh. The doctor initially believed it was just a fatty deposit and ordered an ultrasound. There were issues with the scheduling and months went by due to the back and forth with the doctor and schedulers. Multiple doctors later,  a CT scan was finally done in November 2019 and he was diagnosed with  a malignant cancer called myxoid liposarcoma. The tumor is graded at a 3 currently, but until surgery is done we won't know for sure. It could turn out to be a grade 4. The initial scan shows the tumor is wrapped around the sciatic nerve and the surgery will be difficult.

Greg underwent 5 weeks of radiation therapy from December 2019  through January 2020. During this same time period, our Dad suffered a severe brain hemorrhage and resulting brain surgery and Greg remained by his side in the hospital despite being in great physical pain himself from the radiation burns he endured. Our Dad ultimately passed at the end of January. Greg was stretched thin trying to work and be there for his family and his students throughout this ordeal.

Reconstructive surgery will be done concurrently with the removal of the cancerous tumor and surrounding tissue. The surgeons will determine during surgery if the cancer has spread to more areas. Various muscles will be impacted and his recovery is projected to be long and very arduous. It will require him to be flat on his back for at least 4-6 weeks, perhaps longer. Once that recovery is done, he will begin the long rehabilitation process and he will be in a skilled nursing facility when discharged from the hospital for at least another 4-6 weeks. Although the doctors can't predict the long term health issues he will have going forward, they did say he will have mobility issues for the rest of his life.  The concurrent surgeries will be performed on March 12, 2020 as Greg needed to heal from the burns and radiation pain for more than a month before the surgery could be performed.

Greg has been married to his wife Jennifer for 29 years. They have two grown sons, Christian and Nick, and a daughter, Olivia, who is currently in middle school. Greg started teaching at FHS in 1998 and has taught Biology, AP biology and Zoology. He taught a summer program through UC Berkeley called the Academic Talent Development Program for17 years only stopping last summer due to the debilitating fatigue he suffered as a result of the tumor.  Greg loves being a teacher and making a difference in his students lives and their future aspirations. He has written thousands of college referral letters for his students over his career. Nothing makes him happier than helping students attain their dreams. He also loves when students contact him years after graduation and hearing about the lives they have built. They fondly call him "Superman" and "Marty".

My hope is that you will find it within your hearts to send some donation to assist Greg and his family with the already mounting medical expenses and his current and future loss of salary and unknown rehabilitation costs and to provide a sense of comfort for him and his family as we all maneuver through this new reality.   Thank you in advance and bless you all.