Hi, my name is Melanie, and I'm raising money for a dear friend, and extended family member - Ernie, aka, “Geogonfa”; a person whom many of you reading this are already very familiar with.

He’s a generous man, who is always giving his time, helping out people who are fellow enthusiasts about his favorite car, the Geo Metro. (Suzuki Swifts are ok, too.)

If you have a Metro question, he is The Guy.

Similarly, he’s very devoted to his family. He puts a lot of time and energy into his daily life, and I don’t think there’s a person who knows him who hasn’t been treated to a joking story that ended in him getting “The Look” from his wife. (I swear honey, the Metro just followed me home!)

He’s been feeling under the weather for a while, and unfortunately being in between health insurance providers, he wasn’t able to go in and get properly examined by a doctor.

Initially, on July 6th, he received terrible news – he has bladder cancer. The doctors are scrambling to figure out how bad the cancer is, and how far it has spread. He’s already lost quite a bit of weight, and has little to no appetite.

As of July 13th, he has now gotten an update... and it’s bad, folks. It’s advanced Invasive Penile Carcinoma. (I recommend you do not look up images.)

Treatment can possibly be done with the standard cancer stuff; chemotherapy, and so on. But if it doesn’t work, there is a possibility that the doctors may have to remove his penis, his testicles, his bladder, and his prostate. If they do this, they would give him a urostomy, also known as an ileal conduit.

In the meanwhile, his family needs help. Survival is the goal, but it’d be awfully difficult to get rest before a doctor’s appointment if the electric company shuts off their power, or their home gets repossessed.

He’s already had to sell one of his prized possessions – a Suzuki Swift GTi engine and transmission, complete with wiring harness, which he was saving for a future project – to pay the bills, and who knows what more he may have to do.

All he wants is to live, so he can keep taking care of his family, and working on cars.

So please, folks – open up your hearts, and if possible, your wallets. Any donation will help; if you can’t afford to donate, please consider sharing this fundraiser to help reach potential donors.

If you are the praying type, prayers would be welcomed and appreciated.