Bob's Battle With Brain Cancer

This page has been set up for Bob Caffrey, on behalf of his three sons - Michael, Shawn and Ryan.
For those of you that know Bob, you know the type of person he is. For us, he's not only our father, but also our role model. The type of person we strive to be. The type of person that, as you may already know, can make friends with anyone he meets. The type of person that lights up a room with his personality, make you laugh with his sense of humor, entertain you with his countless stories, comfort you with his calm and understanding demeanor, and enlighten you with his wisdom and advice.
Bob has only been a few years into retirement, having worked at M&M Mars for 38 years, and upon retirement, moved from his beloved hometown of Newton, New Jersey to Sarasota, Florida. He missed everyone when he left, but began to pick up where he left off in Newton. He became active in his community in Sarasota, something that meant the world to him in New Jersey, and it showed - he was soon nicknamed "The Mayor" by his new neighbors that all became his friends. Again, that's just the type of person he is - making friends with everyone. All while spending his retired days enjoying his family in Florida, including two sons and four grandchildren that live there (the third son and fifth grandchild live in NJ), and serving as the "lifeguard" at his community pool, a job title that he completely made up for himself to make his wife Gail feel that all the time he spent there was for a reason other than relaxation.
Unfortunately, all that changed in November of 2015, when Bob Caffrey's life was turned upside down. Rushed to the hospital for what was thought to be a stroke, turned out to be Glioblastoma Multiforme (GBM), the most aggressive form of brain cancer. Within 24 hours he underwent brain surgery to remove what they could of the tumors. And for 2 months Bob has been undergoing chemo and radiation. He fought like a champ through the effects, with hopes that progress was being made in the shrinking and halting of further tumor growth. Unfortunately more growth was spotted, and the effects of the treatments were deteriorating him physically, more than what the doctors had expected. He lost most of his strength and cannot move around without assistance. Because of his extreme weakened state, Bob recently made the brave decision to stop treatment. He wants to live out his life surrounded by his friends and family, but with some form of dependency, something that the treatment has taken away from him.
He has now signed on with Hospice, and is comfortable at home regaining his strength so he can enjoy his time to the fullest. He wanted quality of life over quantity, a decision that is hard for any family member to comprehend, but a decision that we fully support, and applaud for his bravery.
Our hopes with this page is to raise money for Bob and his wife Gail to help with past and future medical bills, along with daily expenses. Bob is on a fixed income with his pension, and Gail who did work 5 days a week now stays at home to help with Bob's day to day care. As devastating as this has been to our family, we've learned so much about the positive effects our father has had on people by the overwhelming love and support we've received, along with some great stories. We thank you all for your kind words, and thank you so much for your support.

Much love to you all,Michael, Shawn & Ryan