Thank you for visiting this page! I created this Go Fund Me to benefit my brother-in-law and sister, Nathaniel and Christine Sivitz.

Nat was diagnosed with a very rare type of mucosal cancer and Chrissy, colon cancer, within less than 2 years of each other.

My goal is to help ease the financial burden that nearly 5 years of cancer battles has caused them and to tell their story of true love, devotion, and perseverance.

In February 2022, our family was blindsided when Chrissy was diagnosed with colon cancer and had to quickly have major surgery. We were in absolute shock because she was young (43), active, and would continually get "you're in great health" praise at her yearly wellness visits. During surgery, Chrissy had a quarter size tumor removed along with over 6 inches of her colon. Recovery was a painful and challenging process but she maintained a positive, uplifting mindset. Chrissy made sure that she was always there to support her daughter, Alison, and husband, Nat, during the difficult time. They are her entire heart and she was determined to be there for them throughout the emotionally challenging time. Nat, Chrissy, and Alison are such a close-knit trio who inspire those around them with their strength, resilience, love, and dedication to each other. They are truly an amazing family.

In September of 2023, just before Nat's 48th birthday and as they were getting back on their feet, the couple received another devastating gut punch. Nat was diagnosed with an extremely rare (makes up less than 1% of cancer diagnoses in the world) form of mucosal cancer which is systemic, aggressive, and incredibly life-threatening. They were terrified of the uncertain road ahead and their hearts broke into a million pieces at the thought of having to tell Alison the news. Nat and Chrissy could not fathom telling Alison over the phone so they made arrangements to fly her home. They wanted to be there to hug their daughter when she found out that her other parent was about to begin the battle of their life. In the meantime, doctors were scrambling to figure out the next steps and which specialists were best suited to try and save Nat's life. Ultimately, Nat underwent multiple surgeries, scans, constant doctors appointments, two types of immunotherapy, 5 weeks of radiation, severe intestinal inflammation, loss of vision and mobility from immunotherapy-induced toxicity (Nat has since recovered from these symptoms!), a spinal tap, ER visits and hospital admissions, multiple groin and lung biopsies, lymph node, liver, lung and brain metastasis, chemotherapy, and brain radiation. Finally, when numerous spots appeared again on Nat's brain, lungs & liver, his only chance was a new treatment called TIL therapy. TIL therapy consists of a 3-5 week hospital admission during which the patient is closely monitored. The oncologist’s explanation of this therapy was straightforward and frightening to face. The treatment was brutal and landed Nat in the ICU with brain swelling and a secondary infection, during which he lost his memory and didn’t recognize who Chrissy was. The ordeal was heart wrenching for her, but she never lost hope and barely left Nat's side throughout his entire hospital stay.

Nat recently received more brain radiation and, although the treatment currently has him immunocompromised, he remans positive and still cracks everyone up with his "dad jokes". Nat and Chrissy are wonderful parents and selfless people who have always worked hard, provided for their family, and helped others in need. Nat has not been able to work in over 2 years while undergoing treatments and recovery and Chrissy has juggled life and taken on most daily tasks while compassionately caring for him throughout this journey. Needless to say, their medical expenses are immense. One cancer diagnosis was overwhelming, but they pulled through. After the second, though, the financial burden of outrageous medical bills, transportation, emergency, and essential expenses have caught up to them. Nat deals with treatment related pain daily but he, Chrissy, and Alison maintain smiles and positive mindsets despite everything they’ve endured. They always say how grateful they are for their parents, siblings, family, medical doctors & workers, and friends. They appreciate every act of kindness and support that they have received.

This family has experienced more than anyone could possibly imagine and Nat & Chrissy will need continued care, scans, tests and cancer surveillance throughout their entire lives. Chrissy recently had scans and received a good report! She's very optimistic and trusts that, moving forward, that will always be the case. Nat is under very close surveillance by his team of doctors and gets scans and brain MRI's every 3 months. He also sees his oncologist every few weeks for bloodwork and checkups. Our family remains hopeful that he'll be labeled a miracle. Nat and Chrissy are currently helping other families navigate extremely difficult cancer diagnoses all while navigating their own journey. They want to get the message out there to never lose hope when faced with adversity and to always help others in the ways that you're able to.

If you can help take the financial burden that cancer has caused off of Nat and Chrissy's shoulders by donating or sharing this page, it would be greatly appreciated. Please help them so that they can focus on healing and getting their lives back. Thank you so much!