Fight for Frankie Belletieri!
Donation protected
No one ever said life is easy; every struggle creates the person we are today. My life has not been an easy one, but it has made me strong in character and strong in my faith. I lost my mother when I was 16 years old. Shortly thereafter, my father decided he no longer wanted to be a father to his 3 children. So, I found an apartment and moved on with my life. I worked hard to support myself and I didn't have much, not even a refrigerator.
My neighbor told me she had a nice Italian boy for me. I told her the last thing I needed in my life was a man. The next thing I knew, Prince Charming is knocking on my door; this gentle giant name Frankie. Frankie and I worked hard to build a life together, and it came natural for him to take over. Frankie had several jobs before becoming a plumber. I worked several jobs before settling in at the Department of Defense. Thirty-five years later, we have 2 beautiful sons, Michael and Christopher, and a loving home.
Our life is what we made of it, but all of that came to a crashing halt on June 30, 2015. My gently giant, husband, best friend and father of two was diagnosed with stage four advanced metastastic prostate cancer. On September 30, 2015, Frankie went through a five hour surgery performed by Dr. Daniel Eun of Temple University Hospital. Dr. Eun told us he had never seen a cancer so aggressive in all his years in practice. It was embedded in every nerve ending and blood vessel surrounding the prostrate. It spread to the rectum, bladder, and surrounding lymph nodes. Frankie was given a Gleason score (grading system used by pathologists) of 10 which is the most aggressive form of prostate cancer. Dr. Eun informed us Frankie may have only two to five years to live. This was not good enough, we wanted more; we worked hard to have a life together.
So, we started researching all types of treatments to hopefully find a cure. Our research brought us to Dr. Molly Fantasia of Cherry Hill Medical Center. She has helped Frankie through integrative medications to hopefully stop the cancer. However, her treatments are not inexpensive. Frankie has two treatments per day/six days a week for a total of $2,000. In addition, Frankie receives radiation treatments at Temple and Dr. Fantasia has put him on anti-inflammatory treatments twice a week to assist with the radiation. He also has Insulin Potentiation Therapy (IPT) in New York once a week for a total cost of $975 per week.
The state of PA and NJ insurances do not cover integrative medications and since September, we have spent the majority of our life savings to include our retirement for treatments to hopefully give us more time. My heart breaks knowing what he is going through. Frankie is a good man and would do anything for the people he knows and even those he doesn't know. This GoFundMe page was designed in hopes of helping Frankie and our family through these tough financial times. Frankie needs to concentrate on his health and not worry about the financial burden. we ask that everyone keep Frankie in their prayers. With these treatments, we hope he will have a better prognosis and ultimately a longer life.
My neighbor told me she had a nice Italian boy for me. I told her the last thing I needed in my life was a man. The next thing I knew, Prince Charming is knocking on my door; this gentle giant name Frankie. Frankie and I worked hard to build a life together, and it came natural for him to take over. Frankie had several jobs before becoming a plumber. I worked several jobs before settling in at the Department of Defense. Thirty-five years later, we have 2 beautiful sons, Michael and Christopher, and a loving home.
Our life is what we made of it, but all of that came to a crashing halt on June 30, 2015. My gently giant, husband, best friend and father of two was diagnosed with stage four advanced metastastic prostate cancer. On September 30, 2015, Frankie went through a five hour surgery performed by Dr. Daniel Eun of Temple University Hospital. Dr. Eun told us he had never seen a cancer so aggressive in all his years in practice. It was embedded in every nerve ending and blood vessel surrounding the prostrate. It spread to the rectum, bladder, and surrounding lymph nodes. Frankie was given a Gleason score (grading system used by pathologists) of 10 which is the most aggressive form of prostate cancer. Dr. Eun informed us Frankie may have only two to five years to live. This was not good enough, we wanted more; we worked hard to have a life together.
So, we started researching all types of treatments to hopefully find a cure. Our research brought us to Dr. Molly Fantasia of Cherry Hill Medical Center. She has helped Frankie through integrative medications to hopefully stop the cancer. However, her treatments are not inexpensive. Frankie has two treatments per day/six days a week for a total of $2,000. In addition, Frankie receives radiation treatments at Temple and Dr. Fantasia has put him on anti-inflammatory treatments twice a week to assist with the radiation. He also has Insulin Potentiation Therapy (IPT) in New York once a week for a total cost of $975 per week.
The state of PA and NJ insurances do not cover integrative medications and since September, we have spent the majority of our life savings to include our retirement for treatments to hopefully give us more time. My heart breaks knowing what he is going through. Frankie is a good man and would do anything for the people he knows and even those he doesn't know. This GoFundMe page was designed in hopes of helping Frankie and our family through these tough financial times. Frankie needs to concentrate on his health and not worry about the financial burden. we ask that everyone keep Frankie in their prayers. With these treatments, we hope he will have a better prognosis and ultimately a longer life.
Organizer and beneficiary
Thomas Anastasi
Organizer
Philadelphia, PA
Mary Ann Danese
Beneficiary