Hello everyone, I created this GoFundMe page for my brother, Jimmy. He wasn’t really in agreement at first, but we’ve decided on this very humbling idea to help relieve some of his stresses, while he concentrates on his health and this long journey to getting better.

Jimmy is 46 years old and was diagnosed this past October with an aggressive form of non-Hodgkin lymphoma (Burkitt).

For a couple years+ now, he’s been feeling unwell; very tired; digestive issues, etc. A few months back he told me he felt something growing on his right abdominal side. He started to see it actually protruding. He finally went to the ER this past August at a local hospital in Lenoir City, TN. They did a CT scan which showed a 6cm malignant mass on the outside wall of the large intestine.

They kept him in the hospital for 5 days, then discharged him. The doctors there wanted nothing to do with removing the mass, and especially knowing it was malignant. This left us to figure out on our own as to what to do next.

He had a follow up appointment to go over what they had found in the scan. At that appointment, the doctor pretty much said.. “no one will consult with you or operate unless you have money or insurance”. That was very disturbing to hear!

Being an Ironworker/Welder, calls for carrying heavy equipment, standing for 8-9 hours a day, lifting building material, etc., he was unable to work even prior to them finding the mass. He was tired all the time, feeling sick, uncomfortable, and exhausted, so health benefits were lost at that point.

I then worked on trying to get him Medicaid, and he didn’t qualify due to their requirements of him not being on SSDI yet, and was also denied Affordable Care Act coverage due to not having income coming in at the time. We are currently working on getting him SSDI/Medicare, but we were told it could take up to 2 years for Medicare to kick in once approved.

I also tried to get answers as to why he was discharged in the first place with a malignant mass in his body. I was calling the hospital’s nursing supervisors, nurse navigators, risk management nonstop. No immediate responses or direct answers.

Finally, my mom and I planned a trip to TN, weeks later after his initial hospitalization, so he can go to the ER at another hospital in Knoxville, hoping the doctors there can figure out what is going on and get some solid answers.

They did a CT scan, and it was even worse than the first one! They seemed very concerned and actually scared for him. The mass doubled in size in just a few weeks, 12cm.

The doctors were just as confused as we were as to why he was not taken care of at the first hospital. They told us (exact words) “balls were dropped at the other hospital, but we are here to pick them up”! They reassured us they would do everything they can to help him. We were so grateful!!

They admitted him immediately and did a biopsy the next day. The mass grew even more almost overnight, and he was in so much pain.

So after my mom and I left the hospital that day, I get a call from palliative care. I was told we need to prepare ourselves because my brother will probably not last days or possibly even hours. They literally said he had hours to live!!

This is even before biopsy results and with this fast-growing mass still in his body.

They suggested at that point to just “make him comfortable”!

What? Talk about devastating heartache!

I had to tell my mom her son was not going to make it! This is something that will NEVER leave us for the rest of our lives. I could not even console my own mom.

After an emergency CT scan that Wednesday, they found the mass had ruptured his intestines, and he was going into septic shock.

Had he not went to the ER when he did, he would’ve died at home from septic shock all because the first hospital sent him home!!

While going into septic shock, surgeon ran in the room and asked him “do you want me to try and remove this mass to save your life”?! Surgeon was not feeling hopeful. I could see it on his face and in his words. It was a very invasive and difficult surgery they were not ready to perform, but God allowed this doctor to have the will, compassion, and confidence to do this almost impossible surgery!!

Right after surgery, we met with the surgeon and he told us Jimmy did very well. He survived the surgery and did not have to be intubated, but was taken to ICU.

The surgeon was able to remove 90% of the mass, but the other 10% had attached to his abdomen. That’s how aggressive this monster is! This means intensive chemotherapy.

He now has 2 stomas from the surgery. One for his ileostomy output, the other for future re-sectioning, meaning the procedure can be reversed later on. He also had a drain from the where the mass was, which was removed 2 months later.

The surgeon was adamant about wanting Jimmy to heal from the surgery before starting chemo. We were so thankful for the oncology team! The team was visiting him every day all day impatiently waiting for the OK to start doing his treatment. They initially wanted to do chemo before the surgery to shrink the tumor first, but it obviously didn’t go that way.

After about 3 weeks in the hospital, the surgeon cleared him to start his first round of chemo, under their watchful eye. He was discharged after a long-month stay.

Now that he’s been home, my family and I go visit him at least every month and a half from NJ/PA. We do his shopping, cleaning, laundry, and make sure he’s stocked up with everything he needs until our next visit, including home-cooked meals, food, and medical supplies, and his medications.

He has chemo treatment every 21 days, 5 days a week. On the 6th day, he gets an injection to boost his white-cell count, which can be quite painful while cells multiply.

Jimmy literally has been my inspiration of strength! He has been so strong through everything! He has adapted to his new way of life as best he can, but it’s a pretty huge weight to carry, for all of us.

Dealing with SSDI and health insurance companies is an absolute logistical nightmare. So, while waiting for SSDI/Medicare, we have been doing our best to keep him afloat, and anything else he needs to be as stress free as possible.

I can say, I totally get how he feels when it came to me creating this page. It’s so hard to put your life story and personal business out to everyone, and feeling so vulnerable and asking for help. It’s very hard to even put his story together, because I felt I was reliving our worst nightmare over and over again. Crying and sleepless nights have become the norm for us, but God has been our greatest strength, as always. He always comes through. I believe that!

We can all agree that we sometimes think “oh that happens to other people, not us”. Not true! Unfortunately, we see it happening “closer to home” more than we want to imagine.

This has changed us in so many ways!

This has changed him! I mean who is ever prepared for a horrific life-changing diagnosis? Absolutely no one is ever prepared, but we come together as a family and do our best.

We are blessed that he was able to have this surgery and get his treatments, but we have a long road ahead of us! We are so blessed that we have this time with him! We take nothing for granted.. never did, but more so now!

Please know, ALL donations go to help pay his rent, utilities, food, medications, medical supplies, medical bills, and anything he needs to get through this.

Thank you guys SO much for reading our story. Just taking the time to read this means the world to us! Most importantly, we welcome all prayers and positive energy our way!! ❤️‍