Help Bobby Fight Cancer Again

My brother Bobby has been a fighter for almost his entire life.

When he was just 5 years old, Bobby was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma. At an age when most kids were just beginning school, he was fighting cancer. He survived that battle and went on to build a life that, for decades, wasn't defined by cancer.

Bobby has spent the last 20 years working as a pharmacy technician, dedicating much of his adult life to a career in healthcare.

But work has never been what defines Bobby.

He's a die-hard Knicks, Yankees, and Penn State fan. He's an avid pool player who has spent countless hours around a pool table. And most importantly to our family, he's a brother, a son, a friend, and a much-loved uncle to three nephews.

Unfortunately, our family recently learned that Bobby is going to have to fight cancer again.

Over the past several days, Bobby began experiencing increasingly concerning neurological symptoms. He was having difficulty with his balance and memory, and eventually began having problems with his speech.

What initially appeared as though it could be an inner-ear problem quickly became something none of us were prepared for.

Doctors discovered two lesions in Bobby's brain believed to be metastatic melanoma.

One of those tumors, located in the left temporal portion of his brain, began bleeding and caused a large hematoma. The bleeding and swelling created significant pressure on his brain and began affecting his speech, memory, and other neurological functions.

Bobby is now hospitalized under the care of a neurosurgical and oncology team.

Thankfully, we've received one piece of encouraging news in the middle of all of this: his neurosurgeon believes the location of the hemorrhaging tumor makes surgery possible.

The immediate goal is to address the tumor and hematoma, relieve the pressure on Bobby's brain, and give him the best opportunity possible to recover the neurological functions that have been affected.

But we also know that surgery is only the beginning.

Once Bobby gets through this immediate crisis, he will still have to face treatment for metastatic melanoma and whatever rehabilitation is necessary to help him recover.

At the same time, this medical crisis couldn't have come at a more difficult time financially.

Bobby had already been dealing with significant medical issues that prevented him from working. After 20 years in his profession, his employment recently ended after his available medical leave was exhausted.

With his employment ending, Bobby also lost his employer-sponsored health insurance—just before our family discovered how serious his condition had become.

Thankfully, we have been able to continue his medical insurance through COBRA, but Bobby is now responsible for the entire cost of that coverage himself.

He's facing that expense at the same time that he has no ability to work and is preparing for brain surgery, cancer treatment, and potentially a significant period of rehabilitation and recovery.

Our family is doing everything we can behind the scenes to navigate the insurance, disability benefits, medical appointments, paperwork, and countless other things that suddenly come with a diagnosis like this.

What we want Bobby concentrating on is much simpler:

Getting through surgery.

Getting his speech and strength back.

Getting home.

And fighting cancer.

We're creating this fundraiser to give Bobby some financial breathing room while he does exactly that.

Funds raised will help with his COBRA insurance premiums, medical and treatment-related expenses, rehabilitation needs, transportation, and everyday living expenses while he is unable to work.

For our family, there's something particularly difficult about watching Bobby face cancer again.

He already fought cancer once as a five-year-old boy.

He shouldn't have to worry about how he's going to pay his health insurance premium while preparing to fight it again.

Bobby has spent his life being a son, a brother, an uncle, a friend, a healthcare worker, a sports fanatic, and the guy you could always find around a pool table.

Right now, he needs people in his corner.

If you're able to contribute, any amount will help relieve some of the financial pressure Bobby is facing and allow him to focus his energy where it belongs—on treatment and recovery.

And if you aren't in a position to donate, sharing Bobby's story would mean just as much to our family.

Twenty years working in healthcare.

Three nephews who want their uncle back home.

One childhood battle with cancer already won.

And now, another fight that none of us saw coming.

We're going to be beside Bobby for every part of it.

Thank you for being there with us.