Help Bobby Rothman (Hero and Friend to Many)

Robert (Bobby) Rothman needs our help. He was found unconscious & gasping for air on 1/21/22 and was rushed to the hospital, where he was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma that had caused seizures & a stroke. Before this incident, Bobby was the picture of health, walking his 160 lb. Turkish Kangal search and rescue dog, and Hugo (Buddy #2), 4 miles a day and working out at his local gym 3- 5 days a week.

Bobby is a real hero in the truest sense. He is a Vietnam vet who served from 1961-64, enlisting at age 17. After Hurricane George, he started doing Search & Rescue in 1988 in Puerto Rico with his S & R Rhodesian Ridgeback dog, Louie. They found five people who hadn’t drowned & alerted Special Services where there were many more to be rescued.

Bobby was at Ground Zero of 9/11, where he joined the bucket brigade removing debris to look for survivors and moved bodies to morgues for the next five days.

In 2005 when Hurricane Katrina struck Louisiana, he was in the trenches to offer help once again with Louie, his S & R dog working alongside the Army Paratroopers 82nd airborne division, rescuing many survivors. He drove from house to house looking for people who needed to be evacuated and delivering food and water for the next ten days.

Beyond his humanitarian work, Bobby also shares his creative talents as an actor, Blues singer, & playwright. Bobby starred as Claude in the original HAIR production in LA and played the VP of the Carrington Corp. in Dynasty. Other credits include starring roles in Tales From The Darkside, and appearances in Shirley’s World with Shirley MacLaine. He also wrote, produced and acted in the movie Sam and Sara. His last written play was A Mensch Among Men and he is currently working on another play with Dan Ursini.

Despite his recent medical challenges, Bobby is singularly focused and desperately wants to get back to what he does best (search and rescue) and his passion for helping people.

Since January 2022, Bobby has been in a series of hospitals, and while he has beaten cancer, chemo has left him very weak, and he needs long-term PT & OT to regain his strength. His zest for life and indomitable spirit has seen him overcome truly life-ending obstacles, yet he still has a long road ahead and mounting piles of medical bills to contend with.

Bobby is now at Warren Barr Rehabilitation Nursing Home in Chicago and since his chemo (now rehab) have taken so long, they are putting him on Medicaid, which leaves him with $30 per month. This paltry sum of money does not leave him with enough money to pay his mortgage, taxes, or a bit of heat as he fully intends to return to his home. A group of us who care deeply about Bobby and want him back on his feet are starting a GoFundMe page to help him, just as he has helped so many. Thank you for reading his story, and please know that EVERY dollar helps.