John's Fight for Life
Donation protected
Hello, my name is Teresa Sarzoza. I am the wife of John Sarzoza Jr. and I humbly ask for your support. John was recently diagnosed with stage IIIc Colorectal Cancer and is now fighting for his life.
His Story:
During the Fourth of July holiday John went into the ER with what he thought was a heart attack. After multiple tests it was determined something else was going on. He had a CT scan and was told something really bad was going on in his abdomen (internal bleeding and masses could be seen). So the next day he underwent an emergency colonoscopy which reveled massive tumors that were cancerous. He was diagnosed with stage IIIc colorectal cancer and was given 6 months to live (if he did nothing). With so much to live for he decided to fight cancer head on.
Who He Is:
John is a respected small business owner, music lover, book addict, avid coffee fanatic and the best husband a gal could ever wish for. He is kind, loving, supportive and a lover of God, Family and Country. He’s a son (John Sr & Jessi), brother (Michelle), dad (to Brandon), uncle (to Megan and Nicholas) and loving husband (Teresa).
It doesn’t surprise me that he has SO many friends out there. John is such a hard worker and never thinks about himself but only that of others. He always says, “It’s not about ME, it’s about others”.
A few years back I had spinal cord surgery and am completely disabled and am unable to work. John made sure I was taken care of, provided for my every need and has always been by my side no matter what…..as they say, “in sickness and in health”. He continued to work hard, saved money and built me a house that was more functional for my kind of disability.
Family Matters:
John’s dad recently retired and moved in with us to take care of me so that John could continue to work and provide for our family. Brandon (our son) was laid off when Rainbow closed their doors and had to move back home. He is now working and is able to contribute a little after paying all his bills.
We also have lots of family, friends and the church that offer moral support, encouragement and are willing to help out with the day-to-day kinda things that really mean a lot to us.
The Current Challenge:
His recent diagnoses of cancer was devastating for us. He was told he had 6 months to live if he did nothing. He didn’t even get upset…just asked what he needed to do. They told him 6 weeks of “Daily” chemotherapy and radiation treatments followed by surgery and then another 6 months of more chemotherapy. A final surgery will be scheduled next fall.
The cancer has also taken it’s toll on his body (although he says he looks great) including putting a ton of stress on his heart (again), massive weight loss and constant pain.
He recently completed the six weeks of daily chemo and radiation and is now scheduled for surgery on Friday November 3rd. He will be in the hospital for 2-3 weeks and then hopefully home by Thanksgiving.
They have scheduled him to begin chemo (four kinds – IV, Chest Pump, and Two Kinds of Oral Chemo) on November 27th . These drugs are so strong (and scary) that he will lose his hair, nuke his immune system and prevent him from working.
The Financial Costs:
The medical bills are already piling up. The first two bills alone (from July) were over $11k and the costs associated with chemo, radiation, surgery, follow-ups and upcoming treatments will threaten our ability to pay the bills, mortgage and future healthcare expenses.
The four kinds of chemo drugs alone are ridiculously expensive and not fully covered by insurance….we are currently negotiating with the drug companies to get the prices down. Park Nicollet and the Cancer Center are helping us with that endeavor.
John’s insurance should cover most of the surgery but with the first of the year around the corner, high deductibles and max out of pocket must be met before insurance will cover anything. That and the inability for him to work for at least 6-9 months means we have no way of paying the bills, his healthcare expenses and future medical treatments…not to mention putting food on the table.
John is our only provider and benefactor. I can’t imagine losing my husband to cancer but he is a true fighter and I have no doubt that God will answer our prayers and he will beat this like all the other challenges he’s had to face. Our faith is strong and God has always answered our prayers. With your help, more can be done.
How You Can Help:
So, I humbly ask for your support. If you are a family member, friend, co-worker, client, class mate, business associate or just someone who has heard about his journey / fight with cancer and want to help, this is the time and the place.
Whether you can make a donation or not, we ask for your help. If you can make a donation please do that here, if you can’t afford to help but want to offer a kind word or a prayer, please do….we need all the love and support no matter what form that comes in.
I also ask (because I’m not on social media) that you share his story on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn etc to get the word out that he needs help. He never asks for help so that’s why I am setting up this fund.
Together I know that we can make a difference in his life. Like he always says, death is NOT an option so, let’s do this!
Thank You (in advance) for your thoughts, prayers, kind words of encouragement and financial assistance, it means more than you can possibly imagine.
--Teresa Sarzoza
His Story:
During the Fourth of July holiday John went into the ER with what he thought was a heart attack. After multiple tests it was determined something else was going on. He had a CT scan and was told something really bad was going on in his abdomen (internal bleeding and masses could be seen). So the next day he underwent an emergency colonoscopy which reveled massive tumors that were cancerous. He was diagnosed with stage IIIc colorectal cancer and was given 6 months to live (if he did nothing). With so much to live for he decided to fight cancer head on.
Who He Is:
John is a respected small business owner, music lover, book addict, avid coffee fanatic and the best husband a gal could ever wish for. He is kind, loving, supportive and a lover of God, Family and Country. He’s a son (John Sr & Jessi), brother (Michelle), dad (to Brandon), uncle (to Megan and Nicholas) and loving husband (Teresa).
It doesn’t surprise me that he has SO many friends out there. John is such a hard worker and never thinks about himself but only that of others. He always says, “It’s not about ME, it’s about others”.
A few years back I had spinal cord surgery and am completely disabled and am unable to work. John made sure I was taken care of, provided for my every need and has always been by my side no matter what…..as they say, “in sickness and in health”. He continued to work hard, saved money and built me a house that was more functional for my kind of disability.
Family Matters:
John’s dad recently retired and moved in with us to take care of me so that John could continue to work and provide for our family. Brandon (our son) was laid off when Rainbow closed their doors and had to move back home. He is now working and is able to contribute a little after paying all his bills.
We also have lots of family, friends and the church that offer moral support, encouragement and are willing to help out with the day-to-day kinda things that really mean a lot to us.
The Current Challenge:
His recent diagnoses of cancer was devastating for us. He was told he had 6 months to live if he did nothing. He didn’t even get upset…just asked what he needed to do. They told him 6 weeks of “Daily” chemotherapy and radiation treatments followed by surgery and then another 6 months of more chemotherapy. A final surgery will be scheduled next fall.
The cancer has also taken it’s toll on his body (although he says he looks great) including putting a ton of stress on his heart (again), massive weight loss and constant pain.
He recently completed the six weeks of daily chemo and radiation and is now scheduled for surgery on Friday November 3rd. He will be in the hospital for 2-3 weeks and then hopefully home by Thanksgiving.
They have scheduled him to begin chemo (four kinds – IV, Chest Pump, and Two Kinds of Oral Chemo) on November 27th . These drugs are so strong (and scary) that he will lose his hair, nuke his immune system and prevent him from working.
The Financial Costs:
The medical bills are already piling up. The first two bills alone (from July) were over $11k and the costs associated with chemo, radiation, surgery, follow-ups and upcoming treatments will threaten our ability to pay the bills, mortgage and future healthcare expenses.
The four kinds of chemo drugs alone are ridiculously expensive and not fully covered by insurance….we are currently negotiating with the drug companies to get the prices down. Park Nicollet and the Cancer Center are helping us with that endeavor.
John’s insurance should cover most of the surgery but with the first of the year around the corner, high deductibles and max out of pocket must be met before insurance will cover anything. That and the inability for him to work for at least 6-9 months means we have no way of paying the bills, his healthcare expenses and future medical treatments…not to mention putting food on the table.
John is our only provider and benefactor. I can’t imagine losing my husband to cancer but he is a true fighter and I have no doubt that God will answer our prayers and he will beat this like all the other challenges he’s had to face. Our faith is strong and God has always answered our prayers. With your help, more can be done.
How You Can Help:
So, I humbly ask for your support. If you are a family member, friend, co-worker, client, class mate, business associate or just someone who has heard about his journey / fight with cancer and want to help, this is the time and the place.
Whether you can make a donation or not, we ask for your help. If you can make a donation please do that here, if you can’t afford to help but want to offer a kind word or a prayer, please do….we need all the love and support no matter what form that comes in.
I also ask (because I’m not on social media) that you share his story on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn etc to get the word out that he needs help. He never asks for help so that’s why I am setting up this fund.
Together I know that we can make a difference in his life. Like he always says, death is NOT an option so, let’s do this!
Thank You (in advance) for your thoughts, prayers, kind words of encouragement and financial assistance, it means more than you can possibly imagine.
--Teresa Sarzoza
Organiser
John Sarzoza Jr.
Organiser
Faribault, MN
