Funding for Raymond Worhacz

Hello, we are Peggy and Joe Genalo. We are very dear friends of Raymond and Laura Worhacz. We are asking today for financial assistance for him and his beautiful family. Ray has been battling with nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), for many years, and he was diagnosed with liver cancer and end-stage liver disease Christmas of 2018. In January of 2019, he had a 6-hour surgical ablation of a large carcinoma off the top part of his liver, and Ray is currently in great need of a liver transplant. Ray has returned to the hospital many times with hepatic encephalopathy where the liver disease affects brain functioning. It often occurs in people who have been diagnosed with cirrhosis and develops as a result of liver cancer. As liver disease progresses, the toxins that a healthy liver removes from the blood instead travels to the brain and impacts its ability to function normally, think clearly, and remember information. Ray has blood work done two times a week as well as a weekly doctor visit with MRI's, cat & pet scans, and other testing. Rays pain level at times is high, but he would never show you. He always keeps a smile on his face.

Ray and his beautiful family live in New Port Richey, near Tampa, and his transplant team is in Weil Cornell Manhattan, New York. Ray has some close friends that are trying to help with becoming living donors. In the meantime, medical travel expenses, co-payments, tests, and living donor expenses have cost thousands of dollars out of pocket, and medical bills are already building up. He also has a 6-hour window allowing him to fly to New York at any time of day or night; he must take a medical flight that will cost a lot. We never financially prepare for illness like this. Ray can no longer work. His state and federal licenses have been revoked, and he has not worked in over a year. Ray had moved his family to Florida after 9/11 and traveled for work from Florida to New York for ten years sometimes not seeing his beautiful wife or children but once a month. Besides working in a career field, his work was always ministry. Not only did Ray put men to work but he would help them with their families and faith. He touched the hearts of many in so many ways, this Christmas he kept a team of workers in work when the developer wanted to lay them off. Ray covered their salaries out of his personal savings account. He always helped people of financial and spiritual need. Ray is also a prison minister, giving hope to those who are hopeless.

Laura, his beautiful wife, cares for Ray as well as homeschooling their daughter, Mary. Laura's days and nights are spent mainly caring for Ray and their daughters Nicole and Mary.  While you may read this and not know Ray and Laura personally, I want to tell you that they are so deserving of our love and support during this remarkably tough time. They are kind and generous people filled with strong faith.  While they have resisted reaching out because they didn't want to be a burden on others, the time has come when they do need help.  If you can help financially in any way, please do. If not, please share this post and place Raymond, Laura, and their daughters in your daily prayers.

Thank you.