Jerry's Journey to Knockout Cancer
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I created this page to try to help my sister, Debbie, my brother-in-law Jerry and their 4 children. Two weeks before Christmas, the McGovern family was given some devastating news. Jerry, 55, was diagnosed with stage 4 poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma. The primary site was in the lung, with metastasis to the lymph nodes and then doctors also found 11 lesions on the brain. Immediately, Jerry could no longer work. He is a driver by trade and now he has found himself out of work & needing to apply for disability (which is half of what he normally brings in). Almost overnight, this young family’s world has just been turned upside down.
The diagnosis is devastating enough, but now they also find themselves in dire need financially. Jerry is the breadwinner in the family. In addition to stressing about how they will pay for the cancer care, they have bills & a mortgage to pay and have no idea how they are going to make ends meet. They have been told that a single dose of chemo is $30,000. Although Jerry has insurance, they still have deductibles to meet and still have to pay a huge portion of that. The thought of that, is completely overwhelming for a family that has barely any income coming in now.
Jerry began his cancer battle with radiation to first address the brain lesions before doctors could even begin to address his inoperable lung tumor. There is a ray of hope in all of this. Jerry was tested for and found out that he is a candidate for a new cutting edge procedure called immunotherapy. Only 1 in 5 are eligible to try it and he was lucky enough to qualify as a candidate. This treatment could potentially help him fight the cancer from the inside out and hopefully will give him the shot he needs to fight this cancer and God willing, eventually go into remission. After a battle with his insurance company who at first refused to assist in paying for said treatment, Jerry began the immunotherapy treatments and has been diligent with these treatments every few weeks for the last few months.
It has been tough the last few months with bouts of nausea, diarrhea and weakness and multiple medications. After two pet scans, it appears the immunotherapy is working! The original brain lesions are shrinking. Unfortunately however, this past Monday, Jerry had an emergency MRI after suffering a new bout of dizziness, disorientation & headaches. Although the immunotherapy is shrinking the original brain lesions, two new lesions have now appeared. Jerry needs to continue the immunotherapy & now address additional medication & alternate treatment for the new lesions.
To top this all off, the insurance company will no longer cover Jerry (or his family) after July unless they purchase the insurance through COBRA. The insurance company will require Jerry to pay $600 a month just for his insurance (COBRA) & that doesn’t even include the rest of the family! Jerry & Debbie are beside themselves. They are in no position financially to do this. The bills are pouring in & they are falling behind quickly. In addition to insurance & new treatment, they also need to continue the immunotherapy which is extremely expensive ($15,000 each round). This treatment is Jerry’s greatest chance to prolong his prognosis & potentially save his life. Without it, he might not survive.
They have 4 children aged 12-22. Their two oldest sons are attending college. They also have two young daughters, one in high school and the youngest just in 7th grade. All are still living at home and depend heavily on Mom & Dad. If any of you could find it in your heart to contribute to this cause, or help in any way, you would be making a huge difference in the life of this family. They would be eternally grateful. Their future depends on the kindness of others who can help alleviate some of the worry & stress of this crippling diagnosis as well as its financial repercussions. Thank you so very much.
The diagnosis is devastating enough, but now they also find themselves in dire need financially. Jerry is the breadwinner in the family. In addition to stressing about how they will pay for the cancer care, they have bills & a mortgage to pay and have no idea how they are going to make ends meet. They have been told that a single dose of chemo is $30,000. Although Jerry has insurance, they still have deductibles to meet and still have to pay a huge portion of that. The thought of that, is completely overwhelming for a family that has barely any income coming in now.
Jerry began his cancer battle with radiation to first address the brain lesions before doctors could even begin to address his inoperable lung tumor. There is a ray of hope in all of this. Jerry was tested for and found out that he is a candidate for a new cutting edge procedure called immunotherapy. Only 1 in 5 are eligible to try it and he was lucky enough to qualify as a candidate. This treatment could potentially help him fight the cancer from the inside out and hopefully will give him the shot he needs to fight this cancer and God willing, eventually go into remission. After a battle with his insurance company who at first refused to assist in paying for said treatment, Jerry began the immunotherapy treatments and has been diligent with these treatments every few weeks for the last few months.
It has been tough the last few months with bouts of nausea, diarrhea and weakness and multiple medications. After two pet scans, it appears the immunotherapy is working! The original brain lesions are shrinking. Unfortunately however, this past Monday, Jerry had an emergency MRI after suffering a new bout of dizziness, disorientation & headaches. Although the immunotherapy is shrinking the original brain lesions, two new lesions have now appeared. Jerry needs to continue the immunotherapy & now address additional medication & alternate treatment for the new lesions.
To top this all off, the insurance company will no longer cover Jerry (or his family) after July unless they purchase the insurance through COBRA. The insurance company will require Jerry to pay $600 a month just for his insurance (COBRA) & that doesn’t even include the rest of the family! Jerry & Debbie are beside themselves. They are in no position financially to do this. The bills are pouring in & they are falling behind quickly. In addition to insurance & new treatment, they also need to continue the immunotherapy which is extremely expensive ($15,000 each round). This treatment is Jerry’s greatest chance to prolong his prognosis & potentially save his life. Without it, he might not survive.
They have 4 children aged 12-22. Their two oldest sons are attending college. They also have two young daughters, one in high school and the youngest just in 7th grade. All are still living at home and depend heavily on Mom & Dad. If any of you could find it in your heart to contribute to this cause, or help in any way, you would be making a huge difference in the life of this family. They would be eternally grateful. Their future depends on the kindness of others who can help alleviate some of the worry & stress of this crippling diagnosis as well as its financial repercussions. Thank you so very much.
Organizer and beneficiary
Laurie Imbimbo
Organizer
Wantage, NJ
Debbie Wenzel McGovern
Beneficiary
