Please help Ben and his family as they go through all of this. They will be having a lot of extra expenses during this time.

organized by Dani Merlino, Sean Jarvis and Debbie Reeder

In November, Ben had his annual body scan. A mass was identified on his right vocal cord. From there, things moved fast. He spent the week of Christmas at Northwestern in Chicago. Surgery was performed to “debulk” the mass as it was blocking his airway.

This past Sunday night, he was having symptoms that brought him to the local ER. He was transported to Chicago Northwestern where a tracheotomy was performed.

Looking forward- Ben was diagnosed with spindle cell sarcoma. He will have chemotherapy (start date TBA) and then surgery to remove the mass and right vocal cord.

The magnificent Team of docs will rebuild a right vocal cord at this time. Feeding tube will also be added to this surgery. Once released, he will start the radiation process.

Ben has a long road ahead. We have had so many wonderful friends and families reaching out with prayers, sending good thoughts along with how they can help. Please reach out to Dani as she will coordinate.

From Dani Merlino and Sean Jarvis: Benny is the best uncle to our kiddos. Our Gram calls him the gentle giant. We so appreciate all of our friends reaching out and checking in. Thanks you for all your support.