Hello, my name is Roy Zajac.  My wife, Bonnie and I have been married for 41 years.  As with everyone out there, we have had our share of good times and bad.  Although nothing will compare to the tragic loss of our youngest son, Robert, 15 years ago, the last few years have been tough and brought about some unfortunate circumstances.

Three years ago I suffered a major heart attack resulting in a quadruple bypass.  The bypass was still better than the heart transplant the doctors first said I needed.  After several months of recovery I attempted to go back to work and soon realized I needed to find something less physical and demanding.   

In the process of switching jobs, timing did not work in our favor and we missed the open enrollment for individual insurance coverage last year.  I was accepted for disability, but we were not able to get Bonnie signed up in time.  Bonnie was able to obtain coverage this last enrollment period and became eligible the first of this year.  Unfortunately, in the time we were uninsured, Bonnie developed cataracts and her eyesight became increasingly worse to where she is now almost legally blind.  She has surgery scheduled for one eye the end of April.  Following that they will schedule surgery for the second eye.   

Along with these issues, over the past few months I began having problems with my back.  The pain was so bad I had to quit work completely.  After a few doctor visits and a hospital stay, I was diagnosed with Osteosarcoma, malignant tumors along my spine and hips.  They also found a lump in my left breast that tested positive as Metastatic Breast Cancer.  I know it is not common for men to have breast cancer, but it is possible.  I have undergone several radiation treatments so far and will need to go through more scans and re-evaluation in the next couple months. 

Our optimism is high and we believe all will turn out fine in time.  Thankfully we have a wonderful support system consisting of our son Jeff along with our sisters, brothers and families.   I have asked my sister Jonetta to help with this campaign as I do not have the computer skills to do something like this.

As much as I regret having to do this, I am reaching out to all of you for a little help with co-pays and deductibles.  With both of us now on Social Security, the additional expenses are going to be a hardship.  With the high deductibles we have it looks like it could add up to several thousand dollars – I estimate $8,000 - $10,000.  Anything you can do will be appreciated.   

We will keep you updated as time goes by. 

Thank you in advance for any help you can provide and any prayers.