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From Jenny Alonzo—
This situation reinforces how unpredictable life can be, and the old saying, “Today it’s you, Tomorrow could be me.”
Carlos Albert Canal is a 56-year-old father, husband, and friend battling stage 4 cancer. For over 35 years, I have called him Albert and, therefore, that’s how I will refer to him here.
In March 2020, Albert started to feel sick. Prior to that, he was the epitome of a hard-working healthy individual. Perhaps a little overweight (lol) but still working 14-hour days and enjoying his family and friends.
It all started with a nagging cough that came and went. Doctors would ask “Are you a smoker?” His answer was consistent, “No. Never have, and I don’t drink either.” But little by little, the cough kept getting worse. And because of CoVID-19, doctors were refusing to see him thinking he had the virus. He kept dealing with it as best he could but when the vomiting and diarrhea started, the concern went up a few notches.
Throughout late summer and early fall, there were repeated visits to urgent care that resulted in prescriptions for antibiotics and cough medicine, and CoVID tests that were always negative. He would take the medication for a month or so and then it would start again.
In October 2020, Albert was admitted to the intensive care unit at North Shore University Hospital in NY. This is when the family was given the news that Albert had a brain tumor the size of a tangerine and they finally got the answer to why he had been experiencing constant headaches. Soon after the diagnosis, the brain tumor was removed, and doctors proclaimed a very successful surgery. Albert went on his way, claiming October 2020 as his” second birthday.”
In February 2021, during regular follow up and multiple body scans, the oncology team at North Shore couldn’t believe what they were seeing. Albert had cancer in a section of his liver, one lung, one rib, and one shoulder bone. He was diagnosed with Stage IV Cancer.
Since February, he’s been hospitalized three times, each time spending two weeks to one month in the hospital. Albert now receives a chemo injection every month to ease the symptoms, not to rid his body of the cancer. Doctors believe this is the best they can do.
The family was given information for Hope4Cancer (link below) as something to consider. Nola, Albert’s wife, has spent numerous hours doing due diligence on this cancer treatment center and speaking with their doctors, explicitly sharing with them the reality that Albert is dealing with and trying to get information about their potential to help Albert.
The prognosis with their treatment is great. They’ve treated patients that are worse than Albert with incredible results. Because of the specific localization of his cancer, they give Albert an 80% chance of having a healthy and better life. Their approach is not to rely on Big Pharma but to treat the body and mind and focus on making sure the body is strong enough to fight and recoup, not just dousing the body with chemicals that not only kill the offenders, but the healthy cells too.
The treatment at Hope4Cancer is estimated to be USD $50,000 for Albert, plus another USD $10,000 for expenses. Insurance won’t cover it. (No surprise there!) The family has tried to get refinancing on their home but with CoVID, the process takes longer than usual, and they can’t guarantee it will happen within the next 60 to 90 days. Time is of the essence and that is why we’ve resorted to engaging friends and family, and their friends and family, to raise the money needed to get him to the Hope4Cancer center in Tijuana, Mexico (which is a full-blown hospital setting and better equipped for Albert’s needs than the Cancun facility).
Whatever you can do is greatly appreciated. Seriously. No donation is too small. We realize these are tough times for everyone but will be eternally grateful for your consideration, contribution, and especially your prayers. Positive energy heals and collectively, we all can help Albert return to normal.
Personal Note: I’ve never done this before but seeing a life-long friend suffer is too much to sit by and not do something. When I called Nola to check on his status, and she told me about Hope4Cancer, I went away thinking, “What can we do?” I went on their website and read up on it. Reached out to friends to see if they had heard about it. They mention GoFundMe as an option for families and so I decided to start this campaign to help Albert and his family through this difficulty. Albert has been there for me and my family (my girls, their father, my sister, my niece, my mom, and especially me) through some of the most difficult times of my life. A friend who is more like a brother to me; to us. No matter what time of day or night, when I’ve called him, he has always, always responded and been there to provide support to us all. He was there when my daughter got into an accident on the Cross Island Parkway and I was in LA working on an assignment. Felt helpless so far away. Albert was who I called because she was so scared and needed help with her car. When my niece was stranded on i95 as she was driving back from college, Albert is who we called. When we had personal family emergencies, Albert is who we called. Many of you know I have a brother with special needs, so I never had the male sibling to be there for me. Albert has been more than a friend...he's been my brother, in every sense of the word. That "brother from another mother," as the saying goes.
Please consider donating. Albert and his family will be eternally grateful.
This situation reinforces how unpredictable life can be, and the old saying, “Today it’s you, Tomorrow could be me.”
Carlos Albert Canal is a 56-year-old father, husband, and friend battling stage 4 cancer. For over 35 years, I have called him Albert and, therefore, that’s how I will refer to him here.
In March 2020, Albert started to feel sick. Prior to that, he was the epitome of a hard-working healthy individual. Perhaps a little overweight (lol) but still working 14-hour days and enjoying his family and friends.
It all started with a nagging cough that came and went. Doctors would ask “Are you a smoker?” His answer was consistent, “No. Never have, and I don’t drink either.” But little by little, the cough kept getting worse. And because of CoVID-19, doctors were refusing to see him thinking he had the virus. He kept dealing with it as best he could but when the vomiting and diarrhea started, the concern went up a few notches.
Throughout late summer and early fall, there were repeated visits to urgent care that resulted in prescriptions for antibiotics and cough medicine, and CoVID tests that were always negative. He would take the medication for a month or so and then it would start again.
In October 2020, Albert was admitted to the intensive care unit at North Shore University Hospital in NY. This is when the family was given the news that Albert had a brain tumor the size of a tangerine and they finally got the answer to why he had been experiencing constant headaches. Soon after the diagnosis, the brain tumor was removed, and doctors proclaimed a very successful surgery. Albert went on his way, claiming October 2020 as his” second birthday.”
In February 2021, during regular follow up and multiple body scans, the oncology team at North Shore couldn’t believe what they were seeing. Albert had cancer in a section of his liver, one lung, one rib, and one shoulder bone. He was diagnosed with Stage IV Cancer.
Since February, he’s been hospitalized three times, each time spending two weeks to one month in the hospital. Albert now receives a chemo injection every month to ease the symptoms, not to rid his body of the cancer. Doctors believe this is the best they can do.
The family was given information for Hope4Cancer (link below) as something to consider. Nola, Albert’s wife, has spent numerous hours doing due diligence on this cancer treatment center and speaking with their doctors, explicitly sharing with them the reality that Albert is dealing with and trying to get information about their potential to help Albert.
The prognosis with their treatment is great. They’ve treated patients that are worse than Albert with incredible results. Because of the specific localization of his cancer, they give Albert an 80% chance of having a healthy and better life. Their approach is not to rely on Big Pharma but to treat the body and mind and focus on making sure the body is strong enough to fight and recoup, not just dousing the body with chemicals that not only kill the offenders, but the healthy cells too.
The treatment at Hope4Cancer is estimated to be USD $50,000 for Albert, plus another USD $10,000 for expenses. Insurance won’t cover it. (No surprise there!) The family has tried to get refinancing on their home but with CoVID, the process takes longer than usual, and they can’t guarantee it will happen within the next 60 to 90 days. Time is of the essence and that is why we’ve resorted to engaging friends and family, and their friends and family, to raise the money needed to get him to the Hope4Cancer center in Tijuana, Mexico (which is a full-blown hospital setting and better equipped for Albert’s needs than the Cancun facility).
Whatever you can do is greatly appreciated. Seriously. No donation is too small. We realize these are tough times for everyone but will be eternally grateful for your consideration, contribution, and especially your prayers. Positive energy heals and collectively, we all can help Albert return to normal.
Personal Note: I’ve never done this before but seeing a life-long friend suffer is too much to sit by and not do something. When I called Nola to check on his status, and she told me about Hope4Cancer, I went away thinking, “What can we do?” I went on their website and read up on it. Reached out to friends to see if they had heard about it. They mention GoFundMe as an option for families and so I decided to start this campaign to help Albert and his family through this difficulty. Albert has been there for me and my family (my girls, their father, my sister, my niece, my mom, and especially me) through some of the most difficult times of my life. A friend who is more like a brother to me; to us. No matter what time of day or night, when I’ve called him, he has always, always responded and been there to provide support to us all. He was there when my daughter got into an accident on the Cross Island Parkway and I was in LA working on an assignment. Felt helpless so far away. Albert was who I called because she was so scared and needed help with her car. When my niece was stranded on i95 as she was driving back from college, Albert is who we called. When we had personal family emergencies, Albert is who we called. Many of you know I have a brother with special needs, so I never had the male sibling to be there for me. Albert has been more than a friend...he's been my brother, in every sense of the word. That "brother from another mother," as the saying goes.
Please consider donating. Albert and his family will be eternally grateful.
Organizer and beneficiary
Carlos Canal
Beneficiary