The Nardis Need Us
Donation protected
I’m starting a GoFundMe campaign for Sam and Mary Nardi and their family; their daughter Julia is my best friend. When I met Julia back in university, I was far away from my parents and siblings so Julia and her family welcomed me as one of their own. They supported us and all of our projects throughout school, offering rides and help wherever they could. I’m smiling now as I write this and think of Mary calling out, “There she is, Miss America!” every time I see her; her love and infectious personality make it impossible not to laugh. As loud as Mary’s love is, Sam is the perfect complement with his quiet, calm demeanor and welcoming smile every time he greets you. The Nardi family has always been kind, encouraging and supportive to everyone they meet - and now I’m asking you to help love and support them through a tragic time for their family. I know there is so much fear, uncertainty and sadness for everyone worldwide with the Coronavirus and everything surrounding it. That being said, my heart is absolutely breaking knowing how wonderful the Nardis are and how terrible things are for them right now. On top of everything they are dealing with, the Coronavirus restrictions have now taken away their time to be together for the last weeks as an entire family as they are not allowed to visit Sam in the hospital. Please donate if you are able, any amount is so appreciated and helps! If you are unable to contribute financially, we would absolutely love your support by sharing this campaign with others through word of mouth and social media.
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The past couple of months have been absolutely devastating for the Nardi family. For a couple who have been inseparable for decades, it is heartbreaking that Mary cannot be by Sam’s side in what are their last weeks & short months together. Mary is currently going through chemo for breast cancer, which is curable, but Sam has been moved to palliative care for stage four colon cancer that has spread and is only treatable. Julia and Rocco, their two children, are supporting their parents the best they can, however, no one could have planned for how quickly things have progressed. In addition to every day life expenses, they are dealing with medical expenses that continue to add up. Julia works in the service industry so she is out of work right now with the COVID-19 restrictions, and Rocco had to go on unemployment due to the medical schedule & needs of both their parents. Additionally, Mary had been on disability prior to her diagnosis due to a shoulder injury from work so Sam has been solely supporting the family for the past few years. I know right now is a tough time for everyone with the unknowns that the Coronavirus has brought, however, I think it’s amazing how people have come together to support one another through the hardship. It would be incredible if we could all come together to uplift, support, and love the Nardi family in their great time of need.
Sam and Mary Nardi have been together for 42 years. They met when Sam was nineteen and Mary was fifteen, and the two have been inseparable ever since. Throughout the highs and lows of life, they have continued to support and love one another and raised two beautiful children, Julia and Rocco.
Just last year, Mary was diagnosed with breast cancer. The Nardis were shaken, but stayed optimistic throughout the process as they were told it was curable. She had a single mastectomy done on January 22 and was slated to begin her chemo treatments on March 5. Throughout the time from her diagnosis to pre-chemo, Mary had constantly told Sam that he needed to go to the doctor and ensure everything was okay with him health-wise. Sam kept insisting he wanted to focus on Mary and her needs with breast cancer. However, after her mastectomy, the whole family began to notice Sam’s health deteriorating and convinced him to go for an overdue colonoscopy.
While waiting to hear from the doctor, Sam’s health rapidly began to decline. He lost close to twenty pounds in 10 days and began to struggle with walking/mobility. When they went for his results, they received the news that he had stage 4 colon cancer and was taken immediately to the hospital. Within 36 hours, Sam underwent surgery to have a tumor removed from his spine that had grown so large it had cracked vertebrae, and doctors were concerned about him being paralyzed if they didn’t act quickly. They ended up finding 2 other tumors that had to be removed during surgery that left him with an incision the length of his back and rods in his spine. The doctors told the Nardis the cancer had spread, but they had to do more testing and scans to determine how far. The news was horrible and completely overwhelming. The family had been focused on Mary beating cancer and now had to process the news that Sam also had cancer, but it is only treatable, not curable like hers.
The further scans and tests revealed that Sam was worse than doctors first realized. They brought the Nardis grim news: the cancer has spread from his colon to his rectum, spine, ribs, lungs, and 75% of his liver has metastasized with it. Just last week, doctors sat Sam and Mary down to give them the devastating prognosis that he has weeks, perhaps a couple short months to live, and they would be moving him to palliative care. Additionally, Mary began her chemo on March 5, which means she is unable to be with Sam in the hospital due to her compromised immune system. Her chemo sessions will not be completed until June. Also, due to the restrictions placed because of COVID-19, Sam was initially only allowed one visitor at a time and now there are absolutely no visitors as of March 25th. Essentially, the Nardis will only be able to be physically together for Sam’s last 48 hours of life at this point in time.
I know how tough times are for many people, but the situation the Nardis are in plus the added stress of the Coronavirus is unimaginable. To go through what they have in such a short time and not be able to at least physically be together to comfort each other as a family is devastating. I hope that you will join me in helping to support them in any way possible via spreading the word and donating. The Nardis need us now more than ever.
----The past couple of months have been absolutely devastating for the Nardi family. For a couple who have been inseparable for decades, it is heartbreaking that Mary cannot be by Sam’s side in what are their last weeks & short months together. Mary is currently going through chemo for breast cancer, which is curable, but Sam has been moved to palliative care for stage four colon cancer that has spread and is only treatable. Julia and Rocco, their two children, are supporting their parents the best they can, however, no one could have planned for how quickly things have progressed. In addition to every day life expenses, they are dealing with medical expenses that continue to add up. Julia works in the service industry so she is out of work right now with the COVID-19 restrictions, and Rocco had to go on unemployment due to the medical schedule & needs of both their parents. Additionally, Mary had been on disability prior to her diagnosis due to a shoulder injury from work so Sam has been solely supporting the family for the past few years. I know right now is a tough time for everyone with the unknowns that the Coronavirus has brought, however, I think it’s amazing how people have come together to support one another through the hardship. It would be incredible if we could all come together to uplift, support, and love the Nardi family in their great time of need.
Sam and Mary Nardi have been together for 42 years. They met when Sam was nineteen and Mary was fifteen, and the two have been inseparable ever since. Throughout the highs and lows of life, they have continued to support and love one another and raised two beautiful children, Julia and Rocco.
Just last year, Mary was diagnosed with breast cancer. The Nardis were shaken, but stayed optimistic throughout the process as they were told it was curable. She had a single mastectomy done on January 22 and was slated to begin her chemo treatments on March 5. Throughout the time from her diagnosis to pre-chemo, Mary had constantly told Sam that he needed to go to the doctor and ensure everything was okay with him health-wise. Sam kept insisting he wanted to focus on Mary and her needs with breast cancer. However, after her mastectomy, the whole family began to notice Sam’s health deteriorating and convinced him to go for an overdue colonoscopy.While waiting to hear from the doctor, Sam’s health rapidly began to decline. He lost close to twenty pounds in 10 days and began to struggle with walking/mobility. When they went for his results, they received the news that he had stage 4 colon cancer and was taken immediately to the hospital. Within 36 hours, Sam underwent surgery to have a tumor removed from his spine that had grown so large it had cracked vertebrae, and doctors were concerned about him being paralyzed if they didn’t act quickly. They ended up finding 2 other tumors that had to be removed during surgery that left him with an incision the length of his back and rods in his spine. The doctors told the Nardis the cancer had spread, but they had to do more testing and scans to determine how far. The news was horrible and completely overwhelming. The family had been focused on Mary beating cancer and now had to process the news that Sam also had cancer, but it is only treatable, not curable like hers.
The further scans and tests revealed that Sam was worse than doctors first realized. They brought the Nardis grim news: the cancer has spread from his colon to his rectum, spine, ribs, lungs, and 75% of his liver has metastasized with it. Just last week, doctors sat Sam and Mary down to give them the devastating prognosis that he has weeks, perhaps a couple short months to live, and they would be moving him to palliative care. Additionally, Mary began her chemo on March 5, which means she is unable to be with Sam in the hospital due to her compromised immune system. Her chemo sessions will not be completed until June. Also, due to the restrictions placed because of COVID-19, Sam was initially only allowed one visitor at a time and now there are absolutely no visitors as of March 25th. Essentially, the Nardis will only be able to be physically together for Sam’s last 48 hours of life at this point in time.
I know how tough times are for many people, but the situation the Nardis are in plus the added stress of the Coronavirus is unimaginable. To go through what they have in such a short time and not be able to at least physically be together to comfort each other as a family is devastating. I hope that you will join me in helping to support them in any way possible via spreading the word and donating. The Nardis need us now more than ever.
Organizer and beneficiary
Michelle Kemp
Organizer
Woodbridge, ON
Julia Nardi
Beneficiary
