This is our friend Rob Sciarrone with his wife Andrea and their children. Their greatest joy in life is their family with their daughter Lexie and son-in-law John, sons RJ and Luke. For those of you who don’t already know, they are like family to us. We cherish their friendship and admire their marriage. If you’ve ever been around them, their sense of humor and positive energy is contagious! They are forever welcoming, kind, generous and make every event better by just being there. Along with family, they are the ones we celebrate life with. We’ve enjoyed many concerts, birthdays, graduations, weddings and vacations together. Rob is notorious for writing a newsletter after every trip. They are always a humorous collection of events that mention all in attendance. Honestly, they are a bit of a gift in that they solidify memories and make for great storytelling. Rob and Andrea have given us moral support many times and now it is our turn.

Rob and Andrea were enjoying their busy lives with family and friends when life was interrupted. On April 14th we were at yet another concert when Rob fell ill. After a little persuasion, he decided to go to the hospital in Syracuse just to get checked out. The doctors at Crouse Hospital decided to order a chest CT. As they have since learned, considering his symptoms, this was definitely out of the ordinary. Some would say that he was “lucky” that they ordered that test, but Rob isn’t quite sure that’s an accurate phrase these days. Life took a detour once those scans were reviewed and it was determined that there was a mass.

Rob returned to Rochester for a biopsy and was diagnosed with thymoma. This is a rare form of cancer that occurs at a rate of only 1.5 cases for every million people each year in the United States. He has already started chemotherapy treatment (which has shrunk the mass!) and is determined to beat this. He has established a regular exercise routine to stay strong and help his recovery in the days ahead. They have consulted doctors in Boston and have decided that Rob will have his surgery at Brigham and Women’s Hospital.

The surgery date has yet to be determined but their stay will be lengthy. With that in mind, we are asking for your help. We would like to help the family defray some of their medical expenses and relieve the financial burden of such a lengthy stay in Boston. That way they can concentrate all of their energy towards Rob’s recovery.

We ask that you continue to keep them in your thoughts and prayers, sending them all your positive energy. Feel free to share a fond memory or laugh-out-loud moment that you remember having and send them your well wishes. We would like to recognize and thank the medical staff at the Lipson Cancer Center, Dana Farber Cancer Institute and Brigham and Women’s Hospital at Harvard Medical School for their compassionate care. We thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your generosity and kind words. Especially in times like these they feel blessed for all of you in their lives.