My dad has always been one of the strongest people I know — a loving father, caring husband, and loyal friend who would do anything to help someone in need. Today, he’s the one who needs help as he continues his difficult fight against stage IV squamous cell carcinoma of the larynx (throat cancer).
He was first diagnosed in July 2023 and fought relentlessly through chemo and radiation. For a while, we thought he had beaten it, but the cancer returned in 2025. He went through another round of chemo with immunotherapy, but it did not help, and he eventually had to undergo a total laryngectomy — a life-changing surgery that removed his vocal cords and created a permanent stoma (a breathing opening in his neck). Unfortunately, the surgeons couldn’t remove all the cancer. It had spread into the area around his collarbones and into tissues close to major arteries, making it too dangerous to cut out completely, so some of the cancer remains. Now he faces another round of radiation and targeted therapy to try to control what’s left.
This surgery and diagnosis have changed his life completely. He’s learning how to eat, swallow, and speak again with a reconstructed throat, and he will never be able to swim again because of his stoma. Some of his favorite pastimes — like being in the water — are no longer possible, but he still loves fishing, cars, good food with a glass of wine, traveling, and spending time by the beach whenever he can. My dad is a proud Ukrainian army veteran, where he served as a mechanic. After immigrating to the United States in 2005, he became a truck driver and eventually traveled through 48 states. He’s always been hardworking and devoted to providing for his family, and he is the kind of dad and husband everyone loves — my friends adore him, too.
He’s been unable to work since November 2024 and now lives on disability income, which isn’t enough to cover the mounting medical bills, treatment-related travel, and everyday expenses. The financial strain on our family has been overwhelming.
Funds from this campaign will be used to support his basic living expenses while he is unable to work, with the hope that one day he can safely return to work. They will also go toward ongoing medical bills and lifelong stoma care, including essential equipment and supplies such as suction machines, a nebulizer, stoma care kits, and HMEs (heat and moisture exchangers) that he needs every day to breathe and live safely.
Every contribution, no matter the size, makes a meaningful difference for him and for our family. If you can’t donate, please share his story — your kindness, prayers, and support mean more to us than words can express. Thank you for standing by my dad as he fights to keep living the life he loves.
He was first diagnosed in July 2023 and fought relentlessly through chemo and radiation. For a while, we thought he had beaten it, but the cancer returned in 2025. He went through another round of chemo with immunotherapy, but it did not help, and he eventually had to undergo a total laryngectomy — a life-changing surgery that removed his vocal cords and created a permanent stoma (a breathing opening in his neck). Unfortunately, the surgeons couldn’t remove all the cancer. It had spread into the area around his collarbones and into tissues close to major arteries, making it too dangerous to cut out completely, so some of the cancer remains. Now he faces another round of radiation and targeted therapy to try to control what’s left.
This surgery and diagnosis have changed his life completely. He’s learning how to eat, swallow, and speak again with a reconstructed throat, and he will never be able to swim again because of his stoma. Some of his favorite pastimes — like being in the water — are no longer possible, but he still loves fishing, cars, good food with a glass of wine, traveling, and spending time by the beach whenever he can. My dad is a proud Ukrainian army veteran, where he served as a mechanic. After immigrating to the United States in 2005, he became a truck driver and eventually traveled through 48 states. He’s always been hardworking and devoted to providing for his family, and he is the kind of dad and husband everyone loves — my friends adore him, too.
He’s been unable to work since November 2024 and now lives on disability income, which isn’t enough to cover the mounting medical bills, treatment-related travel, and everyday expenses. The financial strain on our family has been overwhelming.
Funds from this campaign will be used to support his basic living expenses while he is unable to work, with the hope that one day he can safely return to work. They will also go toward ongoing medical bills and lifelong stoma care, including essential equipment and supplies such as suction machines, a nebulizer, stoma care kits, and HMEs (heat and moisture exchangers) that he needs every day to breathe and live safely.
Every contribution, no matter the size, makes a meaningful difference for him and for our family. If you can’t donate, please share his story — your kindness, prayers, and support mean more to us than words can express. Thank you for standing by my dad as he fights to keep living the life he loves.
Organizer
