Help Corporal Craig Fight Cancer!

Corporal Robert Craig has been with the Auburndale Police Department in Polk County, Florida for almost 14 years, doing his part to keep the community, as well as his brothers and sisters in blue, safe. Now it’s time for us to show him what that means to us!! Please take the time to read his story and offer any and all support that you can!

On February 24th, Cpl. Craig was assisting a neighboring agency search for a suspect when he began experiencing intense pain in his back. After arriving at the hospital, tests and X-rays were performed and it was believed that he had just thrown his back out so he was sent home and prescribed to several weeks of physical therapy so that he could promptly return to work.

During the weeks of Cpl. Craig’s physical therapy appointments, he began to lose feeling and function in his right leg. Once this became unbearable, he returned to the hospital and an MRI was performed. It was at that time that the Doctor advised Cpl. Craig that he had a tumor on his spine and needed to visit an oncologist immediately.

The oncology team was somewhat baffled by what they saw and were not sure what kind of tumor they were working with, so decided surgery to remove the mass for further testing was the best route. Cpl. Craig was scheduled for the operation right away. Surgery unveiled that the tumor appeared to have formed on the spine, destroying some of the bone and had also wrapped around several nerves, causing the loss of function in his leg. Due to the unusual formation, a biopsy of the mass was sent to Johns Hopkins University for identification.  It was determined that the tumor on Cpl. Craig’s spine was Stage 4 Melanoma.

While most people are familiar with Melanoma as a skin cancer, something you may look for in a mole or dark spot on the surface of your skin, Cpl. Craig’s case is rare, in that the tumor seems to have formed internally, without any evidence of initial formation, anywhere on the outside of his body.

Although there has not been any definitive cause yet determined, there is a possibility that long term use of the medication prescribed for his Rheumatoid Arthritis could be responsible.

With Cpl. Craig already trying to manage his advancing RA over the last 8 years and now this most recent, life-altering diagnosis, his sick and comp time at work have both been depleted and his medical bills are piling up. Currently, he has returned to work at APD, assigned to a light duty position, however, Cpl. Craig will soon begin radiation therapy in an attempt to kill any remaining cancer cells, which may bring on its own challenges for him to face.

In an effort to alleviate some of that financial strain that Cpl. Craig is experiencing so that he can focus on his treatment and road to recovery, this GoFundMe was created. Any and all support is greatly appreciated. If you cannot assist financially,even just sharing this fundraiser is a huge help! 

I will be posting updates along the way and feel free to send well wishes to Cpl. Craig to help keep his spirits up during this tough time!! 

***When donating, GoFundMe has an option to add a tip to their platform. Under Tip amount select “OTHER” and enter $ 0”!***

THANK YOU!!