
Help Joe as he fights stage 4 Ear Canal Cancer!!!
Donation protected
Hello. My name is Jessica. I am the daughter of Jose also known as Joe.
Whether you know Joe from the school district, or just a brief encounter, you know that he is such a positive person who puts others needs before his own. After 38 years working in the board of education putting safety and security at the forefront for CPS, Joe was looking forward to living the retired life. To close out this chapter of life, Joe and his wife (my mom) bought a house in the suburbs where they can enjoy each other and the slower pace of life that came with retirement.
Most view retirement as a kind of freedom - no pressure, no stress, no problems. Unfortunately, Joe’s retirement is opposite of what one plans it to be. In March 2023, Joe had an infection and after three attempts to take biopsies of the area that surrounded an infected tumor, the doctors did a minor procedure to go into his ear canal for a biopsy. After tests were run, Joe received the unfortunate news that he was diagnosed with Squamous-Cell Carcinoma (SCC). SCC is a rare cancer in the ear canal and has progressed to Stage 4.
Joe being the positive person he is, he wanted to explore all his options. He was told that because the tumor was close to the brain that unfortunately it was not removable. Trying to remove the tumor would result in blood loss, brain damage, or death. He was also told that radiation wasn’t an option because it would cause too much damage to his brain. This lead to the last and only option to do chemotherapy along with taking other medicine that go with it and without a doubt, Joe agreed to it.
Joe being the hard worker that he is, was working part time while in retirement but after this devastating diagnosis he was told he can no longer work - placing him between a rock & a hard place. While trying to take in the news and trying to adjust to a different lifestyle than he ever imagined, Joe’s car broke down. As if he didn’t already have a plate full of worries, this was the one that hit the hardest. His car was his main source of transportation to get to and from chemotherapy treatments and doctor’s appointments & now he has to worry about how he is going to get there every week.
After trying to slowly fix all the issues with his car and the pile of unexpected medical expenses, Joe is left trying to make ends meet - which has brought on challenges as there is nothing he can do to fix it (can’t work). We made this with Joe’s permission and are asking for help to take a load off his and his wife’s plate. All proceeds will go to them to help put food on the table, help pay for medicine needed during treatments, help cover medical bills, help take stress off other bills and mortgage payments, and lastly to help pay for a new mattress that is needed for Joe’s comfort during his at home treatments that are administered every 3 weeks (on top of Chemo & the other medication).
*Times are tough, I know people are financially suffering - if you can't help by donating to this fundraiser, please keep Joe in your thoughts and prayers!*
Organizer
Jessica Carrasquillo
Organizer
Aurora, IL