Help Chaz and Erica

On the evening of January 15th, Chaz Piancone and his wife Erica were settling in for a quiet and cozy snowy evening at home. He was laying down watching a football game that he wasn’t truly invested in and Erica was snuggling with the dogs. Around 7:30pm, Erica fell asleep and woke up minutes later to an unfamiliar high-pitched sound. She opened her eyes and saw Chaz standing up very still. He then, without warning, fell backwards, hitting the back of his head on their wooden coffee table.

Erica rushed to his side and saw that Chaz’s eyes were barely open and he was breathing and open-mouth snoring. As she started hitting his face and yelling his name to jolt him awake, she observed his mouth turning blue, the area around his eyes turning blue and he started foaming at the mouth. He was also convulsing. Thinking quickly, she immediately dialed 911. She tried turning him on his side to prevent choking but wasn’t able to. The police showed up within 3 minutes and he was slowly coming out of this episode but still wasn’t fully present or conscious. The paramedics then showed up and started running tests to monitor his heart, blood pressure and breathing. He stood up (though he has no memory of doing so) and sat down on the couch. The paramedics were asking all sorts of questions and he had (and still doesn’t) have any memory of the event. He was taken away in an ambulance to the ER.

Preliminary testing is showing a 3 inch tumor in his skull that is pressing into his brain, which may have triggered a seizure. He has had no medical history of seizures prior to this event. Because he had a seizure, the state of New Jersey will not allow him to drive for 6 months.

Chaz went for an MRI the evening of January 17, and is scheduled for surgery on the morning of January 19.

This news is devastating to Chaz and Erica. They work tirelessly to run their business, Bark at the Moon, LLC, which provides dog walking, cat care and dog training. Having Chaz down will cripple them and the business, which is both their only source of income. Driving is a crucial part of earning income as they have to travel from client to client, and sometimes both work 12 hour days, or stay overnight at client’s homes. While Chaz recovers, Erica will have to carry the entirety of the business and with a hefty client list and full books, it will be nearly impossible for her to sustain that schedule on top of all of life’s other responsibilities.

Chaz is one of the most selfless people we know. During every single show that he plays with his band, Tiki Torture, he raises money for charities and donates the band’s pay to that selected charity. He has done this time and time again and will continue to do so time and time again. He is very quiet about who he helps and how he does it. If there is a friend (or stranger, or animal) in need, he puts himself aside to make sure they get whatever help is needed. Anyone who knows Chaz knows that this is just who he is.

Asking for help is one of the hardest things that Chaz and Erica have ever had to do. This money will go toward medical bills and beyond while Chaz recovers and they can figure out how to run the business and make sure the bills get paid. They are scared and don’t know yet what the future will hold. Just know that they understand that in hard times, this is when you rely on the surrounding community to help you push through.

Thank you so much.