My name is Melissa and I am creating this GoFundMe for my husband Bob and myself. I am reaching out to our family, friends, and others who would like to show us their kindness in the form of a donation to our family following my husband’s rare glioblastoma diagnosis. Unfortunately, glioblastomas are not just one of the rarest brain cancers but it’s the fastest-growing brain cancer for which there is absolutely no cure. Glioblastomas are so fast-growing they only give a 12 to 15-month life expectancy. As of now, we are already 4 months into this time frame.

Bob and I got married in September 2019. I knew then that I had finally found my happily ever after in this wonderfully kind, sweet, and loving man. But fast forward 8 WONDERFUL YEARS together, our happily ever after is crumbling and falling apart. I was in the hospital myself in December battling my Crohn’s disease diagnosed back in 1994 as well as stage 3 kidney disease/failure. Prior, we found out I also needed yet another abdominal surgery for complications. I’ve also been seeing a cardiologist for heart valve issues and could be facing open-heart surgery. The worst day of my life came during my hospitalization when my bonus daughter called to inform me that Bob went to our local ER and was urgently being transferred by squad to The James at Ohio State University Hospital as they found a huge mass the size of a kiwi. In that moment, our lives changed forever. Right away, Bob was taken to surgery. His biopsy obtained during surgery determined he definitively had a glioblastoma. Our happily ever after did not include a husband passing at the young age of 55 nor did it include a wife being labeled a “widow” at the age of only 47.

Bob has been through his first round of chemotherapy in addition to his daily radiation treatments every week Monday through Friday for 6 weeks. He is currently in the last few days of his 28-day break from treatment but his chemotherapy treatment is due to be restarted for maintenance therapy of the tumor and to hopefully prolong the inevitable. Tomorrow, we go to The James at Ohio State University where he will receive his MRI to see if his chemo/radiation helped at all to control the fast tumor growth. Where Bob’s tumor is located, it interferes with his cognitive function, his personality, his speech, and his vision. Right now, Bob is not as quick as he once was cognitively; with his speech, he tends to stutter and has issues with word finding but he works with speech therapy to help with this; his vision is blurring so much that he has trouble even seeing words on the television and on his phone; his personality before his diagnosis comes and goes to where some days he seems on it and acts more like pre-diagnosis Bob but at other times, he just isn’t my Bob who was so cheerful, happy, and loved to joke. Now, he’s just down about everything and often tearful but who wouldn’t be with a diagnosis like his. In addition, he also has right-sided facial weakness to where he even has trouble feeling the right side of his face and tongue. I have to tell him if he needs a napkin on the right side of his mouth while eating and I have to let him know if he needs a Kleenex for his nose. With weakness of his tongue, he usually has to turn his head to the right before he swallows food or liquids to prevent aspiration. Plus, food tends to get stuck on the inside of his mouth on the right side without him knowing. He has to brush or rinse his mouth out after eating. He can move his arm but his grip strength in his hand struggles. He barely has enough strength to squeeze toothpaste onto his toothbrush. The most concerning weakness is in his right leg and primarily affects his balance. Due to this, Bob has had a total of 5 falls. He is currently using a cane.

And of course, with everything he is going through, physical and occupational therapy as well as his speech therapy are all so important for him but it’s pretty hard to afford the $40 co-pays required for each visit. Not to mention being able to afford all of his medication he cannot go without. We are now at that point in treatments/medications that we are struggling to make ends meet in other areas we never worried about pre-diagnosis from affording groceries, to paying our mortgage/house insurance, to paying our monthly bills and affording my medical bills and medications as well. Plus, I have doctors and specialists I still have to see so I stay healthy enough to take care of my husband despite my own struggles. Not to mention, I’m facing another surgery if we ever have the funds to do so. We have spent a small fortune just in gas money as it takes a total of 4 hours round trip to Columbus and back home. And sooner than later, we will probably need some type of in-home care as he deteriorates as well as in-home hospice care when the time comes. And when we applied for help through Job and Family Services, we fall between the cracks and don’t qualify for their help.

I know we will be facing many more medical expenses as time goes by but in addition to medical expenses, we’re also hoping to raise enough money for funeral expenses as well as fundraising money for the period following my husband’s passing as most of our savings has been depleted. I have been disabled for 20+ years due to my health and am unable to work. I get a very small amount from Social Security Disability but it barely covers our utilities. At this point, we are learning the hard lesson of asking for help. We can no longer hide our health burdens or financial struggles. And for sure, we do not want to lose our home in the process. If those reading this could leave any amount of monetary donation, it would be greatly appreciated. We just need the financial support we NEVER thought we’d have to ask for.

Thanks,

Melissa and Bob Foster