Support for Gary & His Family

Hi all.

My big brother Gary has been fighting stage 4 colorectal cancer and needs financial support. His diagnosis was in February of this year (2022), followed by three rounds of radiation and twelve chemotherapy sessions. More recently, he had surgery on 10/26/22 to remove cancer in his colon and liver but has had complications including 2 additional surgeries. He is now on his 4th week in the hospital (as of today, 11/17/22). He is a true fighter and will get through this, but financial stress has severely impacted him. He even continued to work days directly following intense radiation and chemo sessions. Not only is he stressed about paying his bills, but he is also worried about the unknown amount of medical bills that could follow. Post-surgery, his recovery time was proposed to be approximately 3 months, during which he would not be able to work. It is now looking like it could be closer to 6 months. Overall, finances should be the last thing someone thinks about when they are so sick. Gary supports his wife Kara, who he has been with for 24 years, and his 3 kiddos, Emerald (12), Calvin (9) and Trevor (7).

If you don't know Gary, you would find him cracking jokes while driving to the beach in his Volkswagon with his family.

I have started this fundraiser in an attempt to alleviate his current worries he has about money. Any support helps. My hope is that Gary can focus on healing for himself rather than healing to go back to work.

As a side note, please get screened for colorectal cancer earlier rather than later. Gary was diagnosed at age 45, but his doctors told him they think he has had this cancer for 10 years due to the size of the tumor in his colon. The recommended age for a colonoscopy recently decreased from 50 to 45, however, Gary was 35 when this cancer first started (according to his doctors).

I truly appreciate your time in reading this and supporting if you can. Spread the word!

Gina