Chef's Battle

Dear Friends and Family,

In May of this year, our friend, Mark Iafigliolia, AKA Chef, Iaf, felt a bump on his neck. Out of caution, he went to the doctor to get it looked at, and after a long month of appointments and surgeries, he was diagnosed with Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Head and Neck. Mark started his treatment at the end August with radiation 5 days a week, and one treatment of Chemo on Wednesdays. This will continue through mid-October.

As you all know, Jasmine and The Chef would be the first to lend a hand and give you a call to see how you were doing, especially if they knew you were in hard times in any way. They have health insurance, so luckily, their insurance will be covering most of their medical expenses. But because of the aggressive treatment, Mark will be out of work for at least 6 months and most patients are out of work for a year. Jasmine will have to reduce her work schedule to help with Mark’s treatment protocol and care for other family members who have moved in to help with Mark’s care.

Imagine having 70-80% of your income eliminated and trying to keep the family & finances running smoothly. Mark and Jasmine have applied for social security disability and emergency relief for monthly bills, but as we all know, this does not happen overnight and might take up to 6 months. They need help with money to live, for home healthcare, to transport Mark to and from treatments, ensure healthy and nutritious food/supplements are readily available, and get them to a place where they can focus on recovering instead of stressing about finances.

Our goal is to raise enough money to cover the additional expenses in the upcoming months give them ease of mind so that they can focus on healing.

Please click on the bottom to help our friend and his family.

Below is the explanation of the disease:

Squamous cell carcinoma is a cancer that arises from particular cells called squamous cells. Squamous cells are found in the outer layer of skin and in the mucous membranes, which are the moist tissues that line body cavities such as the airways and intestines. Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) develops in the mucous membranes of the mouth, nose, and throat.

HNSCC is classified by its location: it can occur in the mouth (oral cavity), the middle part of the throat near the mouth (oropharynx), the space behind the nose (nasal cavity and paranasal sinuses), the upper part of the throat near the nasal cavity (nasopharynx), the voicebox (larynx), or the lower part of the throat near the larynx (hypopharynx). Depending on the location, the cancer can cause abnormal patches or open sores (ulcers) in the mouth and throat, unusual bleeding or pain in the mouth, sinus congestion that does not clear, sore throat, earache, pain when swallowing or difficulty swallowing, a hoarse voice, difficulty breathing, or enlarged lymph nodes.