Support Kevin Topp's Cancer Battle

Hi there! This is Elizabeth, and alongside Briana and Charlie, we’ve created this fundraiser to help support our parents during a time that has brought unimaginable challenges to our family. While GoFundMe adjusts the fundraising goal as donations come in, our hope is simple: to ease the overwhelming financial burden this journey has placed on our family, one contribution at a time. We are deeply grateful for your support—especially now, when we need it more than ever.

In August 2024 our parents, Kevin and Isabell, took a trip to NYC but while visiting back home our dad was injured due to some faulty furniture at their hotel. He had severe pain that lasted for weeks; a scan of his spine and lower back caught discoloration on a sliver of his lung (fate, huh?). After weeks of insurance and office scheduling challenges, we finally got additional scans completed which revealed he has small cell lung cancer- a very aggressive form of lung cancer that has a 16% 5-year survival rate. Treatment begun immediately and included radiation every single day and chemotherapy every three weeks, for about four months.

During this time his insurance company dropped him due to the diagnosis and we were left scrambling to get him covered outside of open enrollment, striving to make sure he could still get treatment. Concurrently, dad was diagnosed with melanoma and he was scheduled for multiple removals on his body. Dad reacted mildly to the chemotherapy compared to what many have shared their journeys have been. Radiation however took a toll, causing significant pain and scarring making it hard to eat or drink. This treatment plan took us through birthdays, all major holidays, and the new year - but we did not lose hope.

The re-scan of his lungs in mid-March showed the lung cancer had shrunk significantly and the doctors were confident we were in the clear - yay! Appointments for the melanoma were scheduled, and we were feeling weight lifting from us. However, a mention of migraines to his doctor warranted a brain scan. Our dad has suffered migraines his entire life, so this was not a red flag to us. Although small cell lung cancer has a high chance of metastasizing to the brain, his treatment was so rigorous that his medical team was optimistic.

The brain scans showed this was our new reality: untreatable brain cancer and an estimated 9-12 months to live. Through incredible friendships and connections, we got an appointment at Moffitt Cancer Center immediately. Hope returned and we prayed hard. The news that came again was heavy- they had no current trials, medications, or options to help us. Dad underwent a few rounds of radiation to help control the brain cancer, but scans show there are between 15-25 cancerous spots in various areas of his brain.

So, where does that leave us?

Truly, medical insurance works when you don't need it in this capacity, and the hoops we have had to jump through, delays in scans and treatment, lack of communication, and more are exhausting. Simultaneously, we have been blessed with incredible family and friends that have supported us, select offices and medical professionals that have made this journey so much easier, and the hope and faith that their timeline is wrong and the power of prayer will win.

And still—we fight.

Our dad is now undergoing monthly immunotherapy, likely for the rest of his life. These treatments are our lifeline, but they come at staggering costs, upwards of $20,000 per treatment. The medical bills keep coming: from scans, past treatments, and what’s ahead. And while we’ve started to face the truth that end-of-life care may someday be part of this, we’re holding tight to hope and refusing to let go of it. We are hoping to be accepted into a clinical trial at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, TX this year.

We are stretched in every way—emotionally, physically, financially. Dad and our brother continue to run our family business, Topps Fence. Briana and I run our company. Mom is still working. We’re doing everything we can to hold each other up, live life as normally as possible, and be present for the moments that matter most. But this isn’t easy. Not by any stretch.

So, from the bottom of our hearts—we’re asking for help. Every single donation, no matter the amount, is meaningful. If you’re not in a place to give, we completely understand. But if you can share our story, you’re still making a difference. You're still helping. As someone who works in fundraising professionally, I can tell you this: philanthropy is powerful. And when it’s powered by love, community, and compassion—it can move mountains.

We grew up Italian, where family means more than blood—it means loyalty, shared meals, open hearts, and helping hands. If you’re reading this, we consider you part of our extended family. Thank you for walking this road with us. Your support, your prayers, and your love mean more than words can say.

With deepest gratitude and love,

Elizabeth Topp