Help Dave Beat Cancer
Donation protected
Dave Pizzini, Kennett Square native and Villanova University Graduate, needs our help. Please read his story below.
In 2018, Dave and his wife Christine happily celebrated their 10th year of marriage and were living an active life with their four children (ages 10, 8, 6, and 3); shuffling work, school, organized sports, and daily activities in the waking hours. Each day was predictably routine until November 15th when the devastation of a cancer diagnosis shattered the normalcy of the life they had built together.
In the two weeks leading up to that day, Dave had nothing more than a sense of “fullness” in his stomach that led him to a doctor’s visit where testing was ordered. The doctor immediately sent Dave to the emergency room for a CT scan, and a colonoscopy the following morning revealed what was suspected from the scans leading up to that point; a mass in his colon wall which proved to be cancerous. With no family history and no symptoms of anything afoul prior to this appointment, Dave was diagnosed at 39 years old with Stage IV Colorectal Cancer that had spread to his liver, with over 70% of it blanketed in innumerable tumors. Genetic testing revealed that Dave’s cancer is fueled by an extremely aggressive mutation that, fortunately for the sake of his children, is not hereditary.
His situation was critical; with no time to waste Dave underwent surgery within 48 hours of his diagnosis to insert a chemoport to allow him to receive infusion therapies as soon as possible. He began chemotherapy at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center immediately after and has received infusions every other week since then. In the face of death, Dave made a complete lifestyle change and has responded very well to cancer treatments. He is doing everything in his ability to pursue the status of “No Evidence of Disease” (NED) and will likely remain in-treatment indefinitely to achieve and maintain this.
Dave is courageously fighting this and thriving with the love and support of his family and friends through his treatment, but if you’ve ever been faced with a cancer diagnosis you understand that love and support is not always enough. The out-of-pocket expenses of cancer are cumbersome; there are co-pays, co-insurance, deductibles, and some treatments that are not covered by insurance at all. If you have ever met Dave, you know that he is much too humble to ask for help on his own, especially being the sole provider for his family of six, for the past 11 years.
It is times like these where we often feel helpless and want to do something for our friends in these situations, and thankfully, we can make a difference for Dave by alleviating some of the burden associated with the financial costs of his cancer. Our goal for the Pizzini Family is substantial, but the costs for Dave’s life-saving treatment will remain high for his family indefinitely, and reaching NED status is priceless.
Please consider making a contribution to Dave and his family so that we can help their main focus remain on what is most important, helping Dave win the battle against cancer.
For updates, you can follow Dave on Twitter @avgsuburbdad
In 2018, Dave and his wife Christine happily celebrated their 10th year of marriage and were living an active life with their four children (ages 10, 8, 6, and 3); shuffling work, school, organized sports, and daily activities in the waking hours. Each day was predictably routine until November 15th when the devastation of a cancer diagnosis shattered the normalcy of the life they had built together.
In the two weeks leading up to that day, Dave had nothing more than a sense of “fullness” in his stomach that led him to a doctor’s visit where testing was ordered. The doctor immediately sent Dave to the emergency room for a CT scan, and a colonoscopy the following morning revealed what was suspected from the scans leading up to that point; a mass in his colon wall which proved to be cancerous. With no family history and no symptoms of anything afoul prior to this appointment, Dave was diagnosed at 39 years old with Stage IV Colorectal Cancer that had spread to his liver, with over 70% of it blanketed in innumerable tumors. Genetic testing revealed that Dave’s cancer is fueled by an extremely aggressive mutation that, fortunately for the sake of his children, is not hereditary.
His situation was critical; with no time to waste Dave underwent surgery within 48 hours of his diagnosis to insert a chemoport to allow him to receive infusion therapies as soon as possible. He began chemotherapy at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center immediately after and has received infusions every other week since then. In the face of death, Dave made a complete lifestyle change and has responded very well to cancer treatments. He is doing everything in his ability to pursue the status of “No Evidence of Disease” (NED) and will likely remain in-treatment indefinitely to achieve and maintain this.
Dave is courageously fighting this and thriving with the love and support of his family and friends through his treatment, but if you’ve ever been faced with a cancer diagnosis you understand that love and support is not always enough. The out-of-pocket expenses of cancer are cumbersome; there are co-pays, co-insurance, deductibles, and some treatments that are not covered by insurance at all. If you have ever met Dave, you know that he is much too humble to ask for help on his own, especially being the sole provider for his family of six, for the past 11 years.
It is times like these where we often feel helpless and want to do something for our friends in these situations, and thankfully, we can make a difference for Dave by alleviating some of the burden associated with the financial costs of his cancer. Our goal for the Pizzini Family is substantial, but the costs for Dave’s life-saving treatment will remain high for his family indefinitely, and reaching NED status is priceless.
Please consider making a contribution to Dave and his family so that we can help their main focus remain on what is most important, helping Dave win the battle against cancer.
For updates, you can follow Dave on Twitter @avgsuburbdad
Organizer and beneficiary
Michael Odorisio
Organizer
West Chester, PA
Christine Pizzini
Beneficiary