Help Andrea’s Fight Against Cancer

Hello, my name is Jimmy Szucs and this gofundme is to raise money for my mom, Andrea.

On April 27th, 2023 mom had a biopsy done at Englewood Hospital. I asked her fiancé, Paul to call me when she woke up from the procedure, and so he did. “Jimmy, your mom has cancer” is the most terrifying and nauseating words ever said to me. But its what was said. It was reality. It is reality.

Since then we have been left with the anxiety and uneasiness of not knowing. Questions to be answered. Tests to be taken. Procedures to be scheduled. Things to rule out.

After weeks of emotional distress from needing answers, yesterday we finally received them.

Thursday, May 18th my mom was officially diagnosed with Stage 3 Colon Cancer by a board of Oncologists at Englewood Medical.

The plan now is for her to continue iron infusions (started because of a low hemoglobin count after her initial diagnosis), have a port attached to her chest and to begin chemotherapy in two weeks time. This morning we went for a second opinion at Sloane Kettering, the top Cancer hospital in the area. They say all the research, findings and plan of attack that Englewood has proposed, is on track with their own. The issue is, Sloane is not in network with moms insurance.

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This year marks 20 years since my mom has began a mission to better her health and life. She has had a whirlwind of experiences, tragic & life-changing, between then and now, so please read on to understand her resilience, strength and courage.

In 2003, I said to her during a lengthy battle with bronchitis - “don’t you want to live and watch your son grow up?”

At the time, Mom was 440 lbs and smoking two packs of cigarettes a day. She couldn’t breathe from the sickness and couldn’t stop coughing.. or smoking. The answer was obvious and her objective was clear. She needed to save her life. She had to be strong for her son.

That day she quit smoking cigarettes cold turkey.

She consulted a doctor and in July 2004, underwent gastric bypass surgery, something risky for someone her size but a risk that had to be taken. She lost over a hundred pounds initially and was on track to live a brand new start as a single parent with stamina for the first time. She was genuinely happy, working as a bus driver for my school, with her mom, my Grandma Grace as her schoolbus aide. It couldn’t have been more perfect.

Six months later, in 2005, my mom got into a car accident with my Uncle and nearly lost her life. She broke three of her vertebrae in her lower lumbar and was bed ridden for three months.

By the Grace of God- she made a full recovery. During moms temporary disability my grandma was let go from her job. When mom was set to return the next summer, she was also let go.

In 2008, my Uncle passed away and my Grandma Grace was diagnosed with Lewy body dementia caused from hardening of the arteries.

In 2010, mom underwent a knee replacement that never quite healed correctly. This led to her having to go out of work on permanent disability. Not being able to walk well enough, along with gaining weight back from depression and injury led to a second risky procedure for weight loss- the Gastric Lap Band.

Mom had the lap-band in October 2012 and has lost and managed to keep off since, over 260 lbs.

My Aunt, my moms last living sibling began dialysis in 2015. By then, my grandma was in her nineties and the dementia had progressed, as it had no cure. She had to be strong for Grandma. As a family, we did our best to ban together to take care of her. Grandma was put on hospice in April 2016 and passed away days after. Later that year, Paul suffered a heart attack. It was the most vulnerable I had ever seen my mom in her life. But as she always does, she powered through it. She had to be strong for Paul. And she was. Paul recovered.

Combatting the sadness of the loss of our matriarch- there was a beautiful renaissance of togetherness for my family. My Mom and Aunt were the closest they had been in years.. but my Aunts health was not improving. Her sickness also had no cure. My Mom and Paul did everything in their power during this time to ensure my aunt had the best quality of life despite her illness. They went out on daytrips, traveled everywhere together for lunch and shopped at an absurd amount of thrift stores. The three musketeers.

As the pandemic rolled around, my aunts health started to get drastically worse. She began to have minor amputations that lead to severe pain and depression. My Mom and Aunt counted on each other during this time to hold each other up and boy, did they. My mom has stepped up to the plate- taking my aunt to all her doctors appointments, staying countless nights on the phone with her just so she wouldn’t be alone through the pain. All the while, Mom had one thing in mind- she had to be strong for Barbara.

My Aunt Barbara lost her battle with diabetes this past July. Although she was sick, her death was unexpected and tragic to our family and especially my mom. Nine months later, still realing from the loss of my Aunt.. this.

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Now is the time to be strong for Andrea.

My mom’s insurance covers a portion of her billing from her doctors and her inevitable chemotherapy sessions… But not all of it.. and that’s only if we stick with Englewood Hospital.

If there’s anything I’d like you to know about me, is that my mom means everything to me. Our bond is one that cannot be broken and I would do anything to ensure her happiness, but especially her health. The decision is ultimately hers, but if the decision to not have her treated by Sloane is because of a money issue- I simply won’t let that happen.

My Mom has dedicated her life and so much of her time to helping others. From molding the minds of pre-schoolers to

Since the COVID pandemic began, my mom has been working locally with community outreach groups like Garfield Neighbor Network and Strangers Helping Strangers. Every single week my Mom volunteers at 2-3 food drives. Not only does she help bag out and distribute food for countless hours- through heat, pouring rain and snow- but, she also brings delivers to countless others that don’t have means of transportation. Meaning- she loads up her car after hours outside- and drives to peoples homes and to make sure their families have food. When I asked her once, “don’t you care that you’re wasting your gas doing this?” she replied- “If I could make even a small difference in people’s lives, I’m going to do it.” Its her passion in life is to help others.

Her biggest drive- being my Mom. Next month I’ll be 31, the same age my mom was when she had me. She brought me into the world, and never looked back. She has done everything to provide the absolute best possible life for a son that a mother could provide. She has held my hand since day one and never looked back. To repay her for the beautiful life she’s giving me. I always told her if I could ever help her, I would.

So please, help me help my mom. The doctors have given us a light to look forward toward at the end of this tunnel but her fight is only just beginning. Whether it be a donation. A share. A prayer.. any kind of support during this unimaginable time would be appreciated. I’d go through hell and high water if it meant ensuring many more years of my Mom being with me. With us all. Thank you for reading. God bless you

& God, please bless My Mommy