L.J. Marak Family & Medical Support

I’d like to introduce you to my brother, L.J. and his family. Pictured is L.J. with his wife, Kim and their 3 boys, Leo, Ben and Sam. Here is L.J.’s story:

Our journey began January 2014 when L.J. had surgery to remove a mass in his chest. Prior to surgery we were told the growth was benign, but pathology slides were sent to several major labs. Two weeks post surgery LJ was notified the pathology came back as classic synovial sarcoma, a very rare type of cancer. Since diagnosis our family and his has been changed forever.

Proton radiation therapy was started as soon as he recovered from surgery. 34 days of radiation was followed by 4 rounds of chemo therapy that were so poisonous LJ had to be hospitalized for 5 days with each round of chemo. His oncologists followed him closely; CT scans of his chest every 3 months. If the cancer returned, it would come back in his lungs. We were confident he had won the battle and continued to breathe a sigh of relief after each clear CT scan.

As LJ regained his strength after chemo, he was still not feeling well. Severe stomach pains sent him to the ER with a new diagnosis; his gall bladder was acting up and would need to be removed, but before he could rebuild his stamina for gall surgery a pancreatitis attack sent him back to the hospital. He had his gall bladder removed, but now his pancreas developed cysts that would have to be followed closely, along with his quarterly cancer screening. Another procedure was required to drain the cysts.

This September was his one year post treatment anniversary and the chest CT showed the cancer had returned in the lining of his right lung.

We were devastated by this new turn of events. With the cancer’s return any hope of a cure was lost. University of Chicago sarcoma experts presented options. A promising trip to MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, TX for a second opinion offered only one viable option; lethal doses of chemo administered in Texas with the hope of arresting tumor growth. Not only financially unrealistic, the thought of being away from his wife and boys for 4 months time was a factor that could not be ignored.

Currently LJ is enrolled in a promising clinical trial at NorthShore University HealthSystems Highland Park Hospital Kellogg Cancer Center, an option presented to him from University of Chicago. As he undergoes continued treatment for this despicable disease we are desperately seeking financial assistance to help defray his medical expenses, his wife’s lost earnings and to ease the burdens manifested by his illness.

Please help us support LJ as he fights for his life and his future. Your generosity now means more to us than words can ever express. Thank you from the bottom of my heart….

Darcey