Please Help Anthony fight rare Cancer

To our loving friends, family, and compassionate strangers,

My family and I are humbly asking for your help to cover the cancer treatment costs for my brother, Anthony Cassia. In August 2023, at just 28 years old, Anthony was diagnosed with stage 4 biliary tract cancer.

What began as concern over bad indigestion, turned out to be stage 4 cholangiocarcinoma—a rare cancer that forms in the bile ducts connecting the liver, gallbladder, and small intestine. The cancer had spread to his liver, lungs, and shoulder. Cholangiocarcinoma typically only affects men over 65, so there is still much to learn about treating it in young, otherwise healthy individuals like Anthony.

Since his diagnosis, Anthony has undergone 8 cycles of chemotherapy and two rounds of radiation. These treatments have taken a physical and emotional toll on him. Ready to travel and pursue alternative treatments abroad, we suddenly learned in May 2024 that Anthony has a FGFR2 gene mutation, making him eligible for a targeted drug treatment. In June 2024, after weeks of waiting, he was approved for a clinical trial oral chemotherapy drug called Pemazyre. Due to the cancer's effect on his liver and the significant toll of the prescription drugs that he had been on, Anthony had to stop taking the pill in January 2025 due to high liver enzymes.

Because the liver is a regenerative organ, we are now focused on using integrative therapies to help restore its health. After hearing about the miraculous recoveries of two family friends who sought treatment at Hippocrates Wellness, we are confident that this is the next step in Anthony's healing journey. Hippocrates Wellness, led by Dr. Hranicky in Florida, offers a program that combines cell signaling pathways, epigenetics, and bioenergy field medicine. With Dr. Hranicky’s decades of experience working with cancer patients and training healthcare professionals around the world, we know that this program will provide Anthony with the best chance at healing.

Over the past year, we have faced many unexpected challenges, including the financial strain of paying for naturopathic treatments to manage chemotherapy side effects, genetic tests not covered by insurance, and day-to-day expenses with Anthony unable to work.

On the night of my sisters wedding, our mother tragically passed away in fall of 2017. Since then, our father has been caring for Anthony, my sister Bianca, and I, while running his local business. Four years ago, Anthony began working as a manager at our father's business to help with the heavy workload, but had to step away when chemotherapy began. This all happened only a month after him and his loving fiancé Alexia bought their first condo - leaving them with the heavy burden of mortgage payments & daily living expenses, all while having no source of income and receiving little help from the government.

We are now kindly asking for your help in order to raise $120,000 CAD to fund Anthony's stay at Hippocrates Wellness, his naturopathic treatments, and the ongoing daily expenses, including hospital bills abroad. Due to the liver not functioning fully, Anthony had developed ascites —a non-cancerous fluid buildup in the abdomen that requires regular draining for the time being, which will be an additional expense in the States. This funding will help assure he receives the best possible care and treatment, and to help save his life.

We ask that when viewing our photos, you do so through a lens of hope, positivity, and prayer, holding onto the belief that we will overcome this together!

If you are not able to donate, we completely understand, and kindly ask you to please share this post in order for Anthony’s story to reach as many homes as possible, and to keep us in your prayers.

Thank you so much for your time, and may God bless you all.

With gratitude, love, and hope,

His loving family, devoted fiancé, and friends.