Marty's Battle
Donation protected
My brother, Marty Getkowski, who is 45 years old, has recently been diagnosed with an aggressive type of Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma that was only discovered by accident after a fall at work. For those of you know who know Marty, he is an amazing person. Throughout his life he has always put others first and has gone out of his way to help, especially family and friends, as well as customers. Marty has been an accomplished auto-mechanic for 25 years, with 16 of those years at Kost Tire which is now Mr. Tire at the North Syracuse, NY location. Over the years he has gained an extensive customer following who have put their trust in his skills. Marty has not only been dedicated to his customers but to family as well. No matter how many hours he worked, he always made time for family, esp. his 17 month old grandson. Prior to his diagnosis, Marty was a man that never sat still. He was always on the go. However after he got sick it all changed drastically. He went from active to barely able to shift on the couch. He needed help getting up. Walking more than 2 feet was impossible for him to do. My brother needed physical assistance to do the basic activities of daily living.
MARTY'S FALL
Mid-November 2017, Marty had suffered a fall at work. He was initially diagnosed with hematoma. However, increased pain led to repeated visits to the ER, each time resulting in a diagnosis of hematoma until January 2018, when one doctor realized that the hematoma was in fact lymphoma. This misdiagnosis led to delays in treatment which caused the cancer to spread. After further testing, which included CT, MRI, biopsies, bone marrow and ultrasounds, it was confirmed that Marty had Stage 3 Diffuse Large B Cell Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, which is considered the most aggressive of the lymphoma cancers. However by this point it was already February 2018. In addition to all of this, we found out there were additional medical concerns which would affect the type of chemo treatment he could receive. This was less effective but the doctors were hopeful it would work. Unfortunately after 3 rounds of chemo, it didn’t work. At this point there was no choice but to put Marty on an intensive chemo which required him to be admitted into the hospital for a week receiving nonstop chemo. Marty’s body was resistant to this very harsh, toxic treatment as well, which resulted in complications: internal bleeding, infections, and kidney failure. Treatment options are being exhausted and cost of available treatments are increasing. Marty will now have to undergo RICE treatment, which unfortunately is only 50% effective and extremely expensive.
Despite this diagnosis and setbacks, Marty is putting on a brave front. His treatments have left him with a financial hardship. He is unable to work. His wife’s medical issues and multiple surgeries prevent her from working as well. His medical bills are piling up and his employer based insurance will end this month (June 2018). He will then be forced to look for alternative insurance but due to “open enrollment” will continue to accrue out of pocket expenses and create a greater financial struggle than what he is already experiencing. However Marty refuses to give up; not only for himself but for his family, esp. his young grandson. Marty is not one to ask for help because he always depended on himself. As a family we are helping as much as we can but as the medical bills add up, it is just not enough. Marty needs help paying for all the treatments, hospital stays, and testing.
My family is so grateful for all the loving support we have received so far. The emotions on that end are overwhelming and fill our hearts with love. Please consider helping whatever you can to assist Marty with the cost of his treatments.
Please share our story with your Facebook friends, too. Thank you for taking the time to read about what has happened to Marty. Obviously this turn of events will have a profound effect on Marty’s future, the future of our family, and the greater community as well. We wish you well, and are grateful beyond words for the outpouring of sympathy and concern we have already received."
MARTY'S FALL
Mid-November 2017, Marty had suffered a fall at work. He was initially diagnosed with hematoma. However, increased pain led to repeated visits to the ER, each time resulting in a diagnosis of hematoma until January 2018, when one doctor realized that the hematoma was in fact lymphoma. This misdiagnosis led to delays in treatment which caused the cancer to spread. After further testing, which included CT, MRI, biopsies, bone marrow and ultrasounds, it was confirmed that Marty had Stage 3 Diffuse Large B Cell Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, which is considered the most aggressive of the lymphoma cancers. However by this point it was already February 2018. In addition to all of this, we found out there were additional medical concerns which would affect the type of chemo treatment he could receive. This was less effective but the doctors were hopeful it would work. Unfortunately after 3 rounds of chemo, it didn’t work. At this point there was no choice but to put Marty on an intensive chemo which required him to be admitted into the hospital for a week receiving nonstop chemo. Marty’s body was resistant to this very harsh, toxic treatment as well, which resulted in complications: internal bleeding, infections, and kidney failure. Treatment options are being exhausted and cost of available treatments are increasing. Marty will now have to undergo RICE treatment, which unfortunately is only 50% effective and extremely expensive.
Despite this diagnosis and setbacks, Marty is putting on a brave front. His treatments have left him with a financial hardship. He is unable to work. His wife’s medical issues and multiple surgeries prevent her from working as well. His medical bills are piling up and his employer based insurance will end this month (June 2018). He will then be forced to look for alternative insurance but due to “open enrollment” will continue to accrue out of pocket expenses and create a greater financial struggle than what he is already experiencing. However Marty refuses to give up; not only for himself but for his family, esp. his young grandson. Marty is not one to ask for help because he always depended on himself. As a family we are helping as much as we can but as the medical bills add up, it is just not enough. Marty needs help paying for all the treatments, hospital stays, and testing.
My family is so grateful for all the loving support we have received so far. The emotions on that end are overwhelming and fill our hearts with love. Please consider helping whatever you can to assist Marty with the cost of his treatments.
Please share our story with your Facebook friends, too. Thank you for taking the time to read about what has happened to Marty. Obviously this turn of events will have a profound effect on Marty’s future, the future of our family, and the greater community as well. We wish you well, and are grateful beyond words for the outpouring of sympathy and concern we have already received."
Organizer
JoAnna M Getkowski
Organizer
Baldwinsville, NY
