I am organizing this fundraiser on behalf of my sister, Toni Andrews.

It is with a very heavy heart and tears in my eyes as I am writing this passage about my brother in law.  Cory contracted an aggressive and rare type of Sarcoma in 2011 called dedifferentiated liposarcoma. From countless trips to Manhattan (Sloan Kettering) and other hospitals to numerous treatment episodes and surgeries lasting up to 19 hours- our family has been truly humbled by the past 9 devastating years. Cory is a United States Marine Veteran, husband, and father of three children ages 18, 16, and 10.  The most amazing thing about him is that he is always the one telling everyone else it’s going to be okay.  All we have hoped and prayed for was that one day we could say the same thing to him.  We’ve experienced glimmers of hope because that stubborn Marine spirit we all admire about him (and roll our eyes about sometimes) will just not let him quit. He’s still fighting.  Every day, he’s still fighting.  Even when he has a hard time getting out of bed to get treatments and scans- he is still fighting. Why? He has a wife and children who he would give anything and everything for because they are his entire world.  Every day he carries faith, hope, and love, because these are all things a disease cannot take away from anyone. 

As of late- his condition has taken a turn for the worst.  His liver has begun to shut down as a result of new and rapidly developing tumors. Due to the pandemic, traveling to Sloan Kettering in Manhattan was not advisable due to the reality of a compromised immune system. Thus, care coordination and even receiving adequate health care has been extremely challenging during this past 8 months.  Nevertheless, he recently made a surprise appearance at his youngest daughter’s soccer game.  I’m not sure what it was about the photo my sister posted with my youngest niece hugging her daddy with tears streaming down her face because he hadn’t been able to attend in such a long time, but I can tell you that at the basic level of being a human- those are the moments that hit a little harder because we all know this battle is now between him and God.  Pride means nothing when it comes to someone’s life and making every moment count.  His team of doctors have recommended another trip to Manhattan for a potentially lifesaving move. Our goal is to comfortably prepare for unexpected expenses which would be incurred during this time so our family can focus on what is most important; making every day count.  We genuinely appreciate all help at this time, especially in the form of prayer.  God bless you all.

P.S. We love you with everything we’ve got Cory Andrews! We are standing and fighting with you! Semper Fi, brother.