
Help Jason Marton and his family!
Donation protected
No one ever wants to do these things. You see so many of them it might not feel like that's the case. But this is my first time writing one and, believe me, everyone involved would give anything to NOT have to do one of these. But, here I am, because my brother-in-law, Jason Marton, recently found out he has colon cancer. As weird as I feel doing one of these I know that Jason knows a LOT of people who care about him. Partly because of his job as a personal trainer and running his own gym, Little Engine, for almost a decade now. But mostly because he loves knowing people - and not in a shitty, fake, “networking” way - Jason loves hearing people’s stories, making someone he just met laugh and feel comfortable, remembering a detail about your dog or your garden or your grandma...you know, the kind of person that makes you wonder if YOU are, in fact, a considerate person after you talk to someone who's just so freaking considerate. On top of that, he’s married to the most beautiful and amazing woman I’ve ever met and is an amazing amazing (yes, double amazing) father to two boys, who not only share his sense of humor but also inherited that innate sensitivity and regard to the people around them.
But, back to the cancer..as of now the diagnosis is Stage 2-3 colon cancer. Bloodwork and other tests show that it hasn't seemed to spread anywhere else. He's scheduled for surgery to remove the tumor and a bunch of lymph nodes this Wednesday, Nov 11 and they’ll know the staging after surgery. If it’s stage 2, he likely won’t need chemo, but stage 3 would mean chemo. And to make things even more fun, they need to test to confirm if he has Lynch Syndrome (a genetic abnormality that causes early cancer). If he does have Lynch, they might need to take out his entire colon. Cancer, being the truest of assholes it always is, has left a lot to be seen as far as how long or difficult a process this will end up being. The hard and unavoidable facts though are that Jason is self-employed and the primary source of income for his family. Being out of work for this surgery and recovery, and being on the line for an unknown amount of hospital bills will be, to put it lightly, devastating. Adding in the uncertainty of whether additional surgeries and hospital bills are still to come makes the current level of stress and heartache our family is feeling even worse.
So here’s the part where I ask you for money... I KNOW Things Are Bad for literally everyone, everything is terrible and sometimes it’s hard to believe it will ever get better. I know money is tight, I know your future is uncertain. But if there’s one positive thing I’ve taken from this past year it’s that people WILL show up when you need them. I know at this point this is just a drop in the GoFundMe bucket, but I also know we’ve all seen firsthand what can be accomplished if all of us give just a tiny bit. If you know Jason you know he’s a genuinely good human who always looks out for others. In the entire 20+ years I’ve known him he’s never asked for anything of others...and, to be fair, he’s not the one asking now either. And if you don't know Jason, you still very likely know what it feels like to be in a truly hard spot, and you know what a difference it can make when we show up for each other. Please, whatever you can give, whatever dollar you can spare, will be honestly truly appreciated.
But, back to the cancer..as of now the diagnosis is Stage 2-3 colon cancer. Bloodwork and other tests show that it hasn't seemed to spread anywhere else. He's scheduled for surgery to remove the tumor and a bunch of lymph nodes this Wednesday, Nov 11 and they’ll know the staging after surgery. If it’s stage 2, he likely won’t need chemo, but stage 3 would mean chemo. And to make things even more fun, they need to test to confirm if he has Lynch Syndrome (a genetic abnormality that causes early cancer). If he does have Lynch, they might need to take out his entire colon. Cancer, being the truest of assholes it always is, has left a lot to be seen as far as how long or difficult a process this will end up being. The hard and unavoidable facts though are that Jason is self-employed and the primary source of income for his family. Being out of work for this surgery and recovery, and being on the line for an unknown amount of hospital bills will be, to put it lightly, devastating. Adding in the uncertainty of whether additional surgeries and hospital bills are still to come makes the current level of stress and heartache our family is feeling even worse.
So here’s the part where I ask you for money... I KNOW Things Are Bad for literally everyone, everything is terrible and sometimes it’s hard to believe it will ever get better. I know money is tight, I know your future is uncertain. But if there’s one positive thing I’ve taken from this past year it’s that people WILL show up when you need them. I know at this point this is just a drop in the GoFundMe bucket, but I also know we’ve all seen firsthand what can be accomplished if all of us give just a tiny bit. If you know Jason you know he’s a genuinely good human who always looks out for others. In the entire 20+ years I’ve known him he’s never asked for anything of others...and, to be fair, he’s not the one asking now either. And if you don't know Jason, you still very likely know what it feels like to be in a truly hard spot, and you know what a difference it can make when we show up for each other. Please, whatever you can give, whatever dollar you can spare, will be honestly truly appreciated.
Fundraising team (2)
Marisa Smeraldi
Organizer
Providence, RI
Lindsay Marton
Beneficiary
Becky Morettini
Team member