Joe's Journey: Fighting Cancer Together

My wonderful husband, Joe Mansolino, was diagnosed with stage 4 bile duct (liver) cancer in July 2024. He had been recuperating from a quadruple bypass surgery that happened in November 2023 when the cancer was discovered. It had already spread to his breastbone, spinal column, and neck. His liver was covered in cancer. He was given 3 months to live, but I did not accept those terms and found a wonderful place in Newnan, Georgia (30 minutes south of Atlanta) called City of Hope. They took on his case and have been treating him since August 2024. We drive to Georgia every other weekend for his chemotherapy treatments and must stay in a hotel for 2 to 3 nights. Joe has been unable to work since before his open-heart surgery and the medical expenses are astronomical...even with insurance. The catastrophic limit on our insurance is $13,000.00 in out-of-pocket expenses and we reached that in May of this year. Joe has also spent time in the hospital locally 3 different times during the last year due to an infection, viral meningitis and encephalopathy, and blood clots in his leg. The medical supplies and equipment, the natural supplements, the hotel stays, the gas for travel, and the organic groceries just keep adding up. I have pulled money from retirement and have maxed out most of our credit cards...with no end in sight. The chemotherapy is working! Joe is improving and the cancer is now contained in his liver only, but his cancer is not curable, and we still have a long fight ahead of us. This is one of the hardest things I have ever done, but the extra pressure of our financial situation is overwhelming. I hate asking for help but also know that we need it. I cannot make more money in my position...I am a salaried employee, and I cannot get a second job because I am still the primary caregiver for Joe. I make too much money to qualify for any charitable organizations, but not enough to cover all of these new medical expenses.