Ricky's Rally Against Brain Cancer
Donation protected
Ricky’s Story
My brother, Rick Schnecker has been diagnosed with brain cancer again. This is Ricky’s third brain tumor in his 34 years of life. For those of you who don’t know, Ricky has a chromosomal abnormality that causes his brain to reproduce tumors. Theres no telling when or if a tumor will return. The only way to stay on top of it is to perform annual brain scans. Unfortunately, on February 28th, 2019 the doctors discovered a new tumor had resurfaced… It had been 9 years since Ricky’s last brain tumor.
To give a little back story, the doctors believe Ricky’s first brain tumor began growing at 4 years old. lt wasn't until Ricky was 21 that the tumor started noticeably affecting him. He began having what he thought were “panic attacks”. During this time Ricky was working for a company called Gutter Guys.. it wasn't until a coworker witnessed one of Ricky’s “panic attacks” that we discovered he was actually having seizures… and the seizure this coworker had witnessed was a Grand Mal. I am so thankful to that man for recognizing that Ricky needed help and for taking him to the hospital. His quick thinking lead to the discovery of Ricky’s tumor and without him, my brothers cancer could have very possibly gone undiagnosed.
This lead to the beginning of a very long journey for my brother and our family. Although its been a very hard one, there has been blessings every step of the way. One of those blessings is Dr. Kevin Judy. We had met with several other doctors but it was Dr. Judy who was the first and only doctor to take on my brothers case with determination and vigilance. He was the first doctor to give us hope and peace of mind and continues to until this very day.
Ricky went into his first brain surgery with tons of family and close friends by his side. One of which was his childhood friend, Lindsey. None of us knew this at the time, but she would go on to become Ricky’s wife, the mother of his four children and his rock through every surgery, chemotherapy treatment and check up.
After Ricky recovered from his first brain surgery he found a passion for bartending at Charlie’s Bar & Restaurant where he still works today.
Four years later, at the age of 25, his second tumor grew. By this time, he was a husband and father to his now 9 year old daughter, Haley. This time his tumor had grown into his motor strip, creating a more difficult removal process.. this time having to rely more on radiation and chemotherapy to remove what surgery could not.
As Ricky once again recovered, he went back to work at Charlie’s and worked on regaining strength of the left side of his body.
In the past 9 years, Ricky and Lindsey have gone on to have three more children two of which are twins, Emma (6), Brielle (22 months), and Ricky (22 months).
This tumor, unlike the other two, has resurfaced in a different part of his brain. He will now be having surgery in his frontal lobe. Although this is heartbreaking news for Ricky and our family, we are grateful the tumor is still operable and away from his motor strip. We will know more about this exact tumor once it is removed and biopsied.
Ricky and his family will face a big financial burden in the months ahead. This is where I kindly ask for your help. While Ricky is recovering from surgery, attending doctors appointments and continuing treatments he will be out of work for the foreseeable future. As I have mentioned previously, Ricky is a bartender. He depends on his tips to pay bills and take care of his family.
Anything you can contribute is greatly appreciated. This is just a small way we can take off some of the stress and anxiety that comes with being out of work as he recovers from surgery.
Surgery is scheduled for Wednesday, March 6th, 2019. I will continue to update you all on Ricky’s progress.
Thank you for your continued prayers and well wishes,
Veronica
My brother, Rick Schnecker has been diagnosed with brain cancer again. This is Ricky’s third brain tumor in his 34 years of life. For those of you who don’t know, Ricky has a chromosomal abnormality that causes his brain to reproduce tumors. Theres no telling when or if a tumor will return. The only way to stay on top of it is to perform annual brain scans. Unfortunately, on February 28th, 2019 the doctors discovered a new tumor had resurfaced… It had been 9 years since Ricky’s last brain tumor.
To give a little back story, the doctors believe Ricky’s first brain tumor began growing at 4 years old. lt wasn't until Ricky was 21 that the tumor started noticeably affecting him. He began having what he thought were “panic attacks”. During this time Ricky was working for a company called Gutter Guys.. it wasn't until a coworker witnessed one of Ricky’s “panic attacks” that we discovered he was actually having seizures… and the seizure this coworker had witnessed was a Grand Mal. I am so thankful to that man for recognizing that Ricky needed help and for taking him to the hospital. His quick thinking lead to the discovery of Ricky’s tumor and without him, my brothers cancer could have very possibly gone undiagnosed.
This lead to the beginning of a very long journey for my brother and our family. Although its been a very hard one, there has been blessings every step of the way. One of those blessings is Dr. Kevin Judy. We had met with several other doctors but it was Dr. Judy who was the first and only doctor to take on my brothers case with determination and vigilance. He was the first doctor to give us hope and peace of mind and continues to until this very day.
Ricky went into his first brain surgery with tons of family and close friends by his side. One of which was his childhood friend, Lindsey. None of us knew this at the time, but she would go on to become Ricky’s wife, the mother of his four children and his rock through every surgery, chemotherapy treatment and check up.
After Ricky recovered from his first brain surgery he found a passion for bartending at Charlie’s Bar & Restaurant where he still works today.
Four years later, at the age of 25, his second tumor grew. By this time, he was a husband and father to his now 9 year old daughter, Haley. This time his tumor had grown into his motor strip, creating a more difficult removal process.. this time having to rely more on radiation and chemotherapy to remove what surgery could not.
As Ricky once again recovered, he went back to work at Charlie’s and worked on regaining strength of the left side of his body.
In the past 9 years, Ricky and Lindsey have gone on to have three more children two of which are twins, Emma (6), Brielle (22 months), and Ricky (22 months).
This tumor, unlike the other two, has resurfaced in a different part of his brain. He will now be having surgery in his frontal lobe. Although this is heartbreaking news for Ricky and our family, we are grateful the tumor is still operable and away from his motor strip. We will know more about this exact tumor once it is removed and biopsied.
Ricky and his family will face a big financial burden in the months ahead. This is where I kindly ask for your help. While Ricky is recovering from surgery, attending doctors appointments and continuing treatments he will be out of work for the foreseeable future. As I have mentioned previously, Ricky is a bartender. He depends on his tips to pay bills and take care of his family.
Anything you can contribute is greatly appreciated. This is just a small way we can take off some of the stress and anxiety that comes with being out of work as he recovers from surgery.
Surgery is scheduled for Wednesday, March 6th, 2019. I will continue to update you all on Ricky’s progress.
Thank you for your continued prayers and well wishes,
Veronica
Organizer and beneficiary
Veronica Afflerbach
Organizer
Somers Point, NJ
Lindsey Schnecker
Beneficiary