Bob's Bruman's Medical Fund

For as long as I can remember I have seen my father, Bob Bruman, live out the definition of a humanitarian!  As a life-long artist he has always had the heart of a Good Samaritan.  From making meals for a homeless passerby in front of his apartment in North Oakland, to working as a Caregiver for the Disabled for the past 25+ years, my father has given countless people a piece of his heart and soul.  He has also mentored both the young and the old on his artistic way of life, always teaching others that “In the end everything always pans out!” 


Sadly, my dad was diagnosed with Stage 3 Lower GI Cancer late last year.  Shortly following that diagnosis, it was discovered in further scans that he also had cancer in a couple of the lymph nodes in his groin area.  Nevertheless, my father is perhaps the most optimistic person that I have ever known who has had to face this battle!  He has made the journey through the last 2+ months of chemo treatments and every-day radiation look like a breeze.  He has used his humor to amuse us and hide his own fears, and has graciously convinced all of us that he will beat this and that everything will be okay…

My father is now in a waiting period for the next 12 weeks to see if this intense cancer therapy has been successful.  While he waits, the chemo and radiation still rages through his system killing both bad and good cells.  In the last week I have finally seen my father start to crash.  He has described recent days as feeling like he “has been hit by a truck” and in the 30 minutes while he was awake he felt overwhelmed and confused and like “someone had hit him in the back of a head with a jackhammer.”  Currently, my father is sleeping the majority of the time, up for maybe an hour or so and the simplest tasks of making food and cleaning have become very difficult for him. 
 
My father’s income has been cut in half.  He is used to bringing in $1500 per month, and is now receiving $750 a month from California State Disability.  This past month he had to borrow money and had some gracious gifts to help cover his phone bill, utility bills, groceries and I have been covering the cost of his health insurance.  To date he has received $8930.98 in medical bills and they keep coming in!  My father has $3000+ out in loans from friends that have kept him afloat the last 3 months while he was not working and helped him pay for his financial needs and personal help around the house during this hard time.  Unfortunately, that money has run out.  In order to avoid an impending crisis and a complete mental break down I have created this GoFundMe account on behalf of my father to help funnel him needed funds to immediately cover groceries, utility bills, and any other vital health needs or in-home assistance he may need.  He also needs to start making payments on his medical bills, first and foremost to EPIC Care Center that has been handling all of his cancer treatments and has graciously allowed him to have treatments without first paying his deductible and co-insurance amounts.  He currently, owes them $2316.20.

So my plea to you today is this… If my father has had a positive impact on your life, will you please help buffer this financial blow?  If you don’t have money to give please share this post with your family and friends who can.  Consider buying a painting, my dad is a wonderful artist!  Bring him a quick meal or a gift card to for food.  But above all else please keep my father in your thoughts and prayers over the next 12 weeks… We are believing for a full recovery and to victoriously hear the words “CANCER FREE!”