Hello, this is Mike Ricasa.

I am asking for prayers & help for a long-time friend/brother, Earl Mertel. Earl has been fighting for his life for over 4 years. He has Stage 4 Esophagus Cancer & now it has come back aggressively and has spread throughout his body. He just had emergency surgery on Monday, January 12th, to remove a large brain tumor. His sister Kaye, brother Timmy, & the rest of the family are in need of help because Earl has been battling this for some time. He can't work, so he doesn't have health insurance. The family was told by the hospital that they are going to release him, but at this time he needs 24-hour care. We are trying to find resources for him to be transferred to another facility.