David Deppen’s Fight Against Cancer

David Deppen’s Fight Against Cancer

David is a loving father of two young children and a dedicated husband who works not one, but two full time jobs doing physically demanding work to support his beloved family from the time the sun rises until long after the sun has set.  A sole bread-winner, Dave is no stranger to hard work, helping others and always putting people before himself.   I’ve known him all of my life, and his compassion and generosity towards others is something you rarely see in people these days. Especially, given the hardships he and his family face just making ends meet.

Recently, Dave found a “bump” on the side of his face. Concerned, he went to the doctor. He soon learned that he has stage four cancer and that the disease had spread from under his tongue, to his tonsils, the roof of his mouth, and down his neck. There were even signs of cancer in his lungs. Dave, who is only 46 years of age, has never smoked. After speaking with several specialists, he found out that surgery to attempt to remove the cancer was not recommended. In a best case scenario, even if he beat the cancer, surgery would likely mean losing the ability to speak, losing his tongue, and even the ability eat normally. As a result, aggressive chemotherapy treatments are underway to try and combat the disease and prolong Dave’s life. As you can probably imagine, after rounds of chemo, this guy who is as strong as an ox, will not be able to do all of the back-breaking physical labor he is accustomed to doing to support his family.

Dave is very proud… too proud to ask for help. Even in a situation like this. In fact, in all the years I have known him, he has never asked for a hand-out – even when he desperately needed it. He managed to get by. He earns his own way. That’s just who he is. Even now, with medical bills looming, falling behind on his finances, struggling to pay for insurance, and a very rough Christmas ahead for his two small children, he hasn’t asked for help. So, I’m asking for him. 

As his cousin and with the agreed support of his brothers, Dan and John, I ask you on Dave’s behalf to give what you can to support him in his fight against cancer. If you can find it in your heart to please give what you can to ensure that Dave and his family can survive financially during this extremely difficult period, and still give his kids at least some kind of Christmas this year, I would gratefully appreciate it. Whether you can give $2 or $200, every dollar helps. Also, if you can spread the word on social media about Dave’s fight against cancer, that would also help. The more awareness we can raise, the more likely we can pull together enough resources to help Dave and his family. Thank you in advance for your generosity and support.