Help Jorel Say Nah to the Cancer Struggle

We are reaching across time zones and continents in support of Jorel as he sets out on his journey toward wellness in his darkest hour.

In October of 2021, Jorel Sanchez was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer known as Primary Malignant Neuroendocrine Neoplasm of the Pancreas. This means there are tumors on his pancreas that have spread to his liver. This migration of the disease means that his cancer is Stage Four. It is incurable and inoperable, but it is treatable.

If you know Jorel, you know he is a beyond solid guy: a loving and dutiful son, a caring and trustworthy brother, an attentive uncle who loves his nieces and nephews with all his heart, a treasured nephew, the stand-up and honest friend everyone wishes they had, and a devoted and doting partner to his girlfriend. He is a skilled guitarist and happy to share his knowledge and wisdom of music with people still learning. He is giving and good-natured – if any of his friends or family need anything, you can bet he will give anything he can. He is a great listener and will be there for anyone he cares for with no questions asked and no judgment at all.

Jorel has always been a hard worker, so it’s tough to be stuck at home, not making money. Things started becoming difficult for him on the job when he began getting symptomatic; he was soon diagnosed and entering treatment, which, as you can imagine, had symptoms of its own. Despite putting six years of work in at Kroger and even working his way up to earning a managerial position, they were not quite as compassionate as they might have been to his agonizing, painful symptoms and overwhelming fatigue. His hours at work reduced drastically, and his employers were less than sympathetic to what he was going through. Ultimately, Jorel had to accept that he could not work in the conditions he faced, and Kroger unceremoniously let him go without so much as a “Thank you for your time.”

Jorel isn’t going anywhere for the rest of us, but as of right now, neither is the debt piling up. Life goes on even if you have cancer; we all know those bills do not quit, and those medical bills are no joke. Jorel’s mother has helped with some of the debt, but that is not a fact Jorel is particularly pleased with. Worse, stress is a killer known to exacerbate existing health problems. He has spent the past 15 months suffering in silence; he is a private person, and sharing his plight is not his thing, nor is asking for help (which is why he is not the one making this GoFundMe). However, we, his friends and family, see his struggle and know it is time to ask for help (he granted us permission after a while).

Jorel is a one-of-a-kind and a rarity in this world. He would never let anyone he knows go down without a fight, and we cannot let him go down without fighting for him, either. Your donation will go toward helping him move forward with his life somewhat smoothly again, with peace of mind in the financial realm.

All donations will go toward Jorel staying afloat as he waits to find out whether he qualifies for disability, pay down his medical debt and typical bills, and start the next chapter of his life as he discovers what equilibrium means for him now.

Thank you for listening, and we - Jorel's friends and family - would sincerely appreciate it if you could donate or at least share Jorel’s story!