On the morning of March 5th, 2020, Colin was like many 17 year old teenage boys. He was a Junior in high school, a solid student, and a good friend to his peers. What made him a little different from other students his age was that he was also active in Junior ROTC, the JROTC Drill Team, and he even had a part time job where he was trying his best to earn his own wages to take the pressure off his high school expenses off of his parents. What nobody knew that morning was just how much his life was about to change.

That evening, Colin felt a strong and persistent pain in his groin area. It was unlike anything he’d felt before. The next day, when the pain didn’t cease, his family sought medical help. After an ultrasound, he went home while awaiting results, but was given instructions to seek care at an Emergency Room as needed. On Saturday, with the pain persisting, he headed to the ER at Arnold Palmer Children’s Hospital in Orlando. After a full battery of tests, the doctors quickly determined he would need surgery to reomove a mass on his right testical.

On Monday, March 8th, Colin was diagnosed with Testicular Germ Cell Carcinoma and his right testical was surgically removed. That's right … CANCER. A diagnosis that strikes fear into any child, parent, grandparent, friend or neighbor who’s received that news. After meeting with the Oncologist to discuss a treatment plan, he and his family were informed that the cancer had spread and he would now need a second surgery to remove the affected cancerous areas, and he’d also need several months of chemotherapy. The diagnosis and treatment plan was heavy, but armed with his positive outlook and a great attitude, Colin was determined to beat it and he got busy fighting it!

After months and months of chemo, and nearing the end of his treatment (and the beginning of his Senior year in high school), he was facing his final, grueling rounds of chemotherapy. Then, just as suddenly as he became a cancer patient, his family was blasted with another dose of terrible news. Colin’s father tested positive for COVID-19, and in a matter of days, he grew so incredibly ill that he was admitted to the hospital and placed in ICU. Now, a second fight for life was raging in Colin’s family. This time, his father, the sole provider for the family, was fighting for life. After weeks of hospitalization, Colin’s dad finally recovered enough to be moved to a rehabilitation facility. However, Covid and a lengthy hospitalization had so ravaged his body, his dad is still unable to return to work.

As you may imagine, these events have left Colin’s entire family in a state of terrible financial hardship. Now, with his father unable to return to work, and having exhausted his sick time, he’s at risk of losing his job and his medical benefits. This combination of cancer surgery, cancer treatment, and a prolonged Covid hospitalization could financially ruin almost any family. Colin’s family is no different. They are literally holding on by a thread as they try to make ends meet without an income and no clear answer of when his father will be well enough to work again.

It’s for these reasons we are trying to raise $15,000 to help offset unpaid medical expenses, and help bridge the gap for day-to-day household expenses until the family can get back on its feet. Please consider donating. Your generosity will be forever appreciated.