Care for the Oakley Family

After weeks of unexplained stomach pain and a fever, Ben Oakley and his family received news that he had a sizable tumor in the lining of his stomach. It is called a gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST) and required immediate major surgery. Similar to gastro-bypass surgery, the plan was to remove a portion of his stomach to get the tumor. However, the initial surgery was not successful due to the location/size of the tumor, and, as a result, chemotherapy is needed to shrink the tumor before re-attempting extraction. 

Needless to say, this has been a shock to the Oakleys and they now face some significant challenges, primarily in two ways, loss of income and skyrocketing medical bills. Despite top level medical insurance, the estimated bill for the two surgeries and subsequent hospital stay is $60,000 out of pocket (maybe more). Furthermore, Ben had to cancel the last 1/3 of his soccer season and, as many of you know, he and Renee are small business owners. They are dependent upon Ben performing exams himself, which he is unable to do for months to come. The loss of income cannot fully be quantified at this time.

Ben, Renee & Emma and incredibly strong and are facing this challenge head on. We know they together they will overcome this! They have been so grateful for the outpouring of love and support and, as family and friends, let’s continue to rally around them in this time of need. 

Thank you for loving our dear friends!