Support Charlie's Battle Against Cancer

I would like to take a moment to introduce you all to my brother. His name is Charlie, and he was diagnosed with gastroesophageal cancer in August 2021. He has already completed a course of combined chemotherapy and radiation therapy in order to shrink the original tumor. Next, he underwent surgery to remove his entire stomach and get rid of the tumor. Since surgery, he has been undergoing immunotherapy treatments, designed to help his immune system fight against the development of further tumors. Unfortunately, for the past few weeks he has been experiencing more pain and a great deal of difficulty with swallowing. He has had follow up scans that were reassuring, but ultimately his endoscopy showed a new tumor in his esophagus, and the biopsy confirms that his cancer is back.

Charlie grew up in North Central Florida, spending most of childhood in Gilchrist County and graduating from Bell High School in 1988. After graduation, he joined the Marine Corps and was active duty for six years. Following separation from the military, Charlie worked multiple jobs, and finally settled on a career in the field of land surveying. He attended Santa Fe College where he completed his associates degree, and then went on to complete his bachelor's degree at The University of Florida. Currently, Charlie has been serving the community as the Alachua County Surveyor since October 2017. Charlie’s wife, Kara, also works for the City of Gainesville as the Land Rights Coordinator since 2019. Charlie and Kara are currently residing in Levy County, after moving out of the Downtown Gainesville area.

Charlie and Kara have been asked many times, “what can we do to help?” They have finally decided to ask their friends and family for some tangible support. With his months of treatments, followed by major surgery, and again followed by months of treatments, they have exhausted their savings. Both Charlie and Kara have continued to work from home, but they need to take off frequently to attend appointments.