Help Justine and Her Sons after Greg's Passing

Hi everyone. My name is Mary and I'm writing the story of my best friend, Justine, and her husband, Greg. Justine and Greg have built an incredible life together and raised 2 boys. Their love story is one for the history books.

Justine often referred to Greg as her "Polish Prince". Together, they raised 2 boys. Their oldest, Nicholas, is in his 2nd year of Pharmacy school. Their youngest, Logan, is about to start his Senior year of high school.

Justine and Greg both worked hard to provide for their family and live in their dream house in Plymouth, MI. Unfortunately, Greg began having back pain that prevented him from his work as an apartment maintenance tech in December 2023. He sought treatment and answers and in January 2024 learned there was a tumor growing in his back, causing all this pain. After this diagnosis, he officially began his 12 weeks of FMLA on February 14, 2024, only to be terminated officially on May 11, 2024 after his time was exhausted. Without the official diagnosis of cancer and the stage, Greg's application for SSDI was denied.

Answers never come fast enough when you are dealing with a tumor, and Greg's health continued to decline. In May 2024, it was diagnosed that Greg was suffering from Adenocarcinoma of Unknown Origin. The original tumor had "dissolved" after metastasizing throughout his body. This kicked off a series of events leading to multiple ER trips, multiple surgeries, ICU visits, and a Rehab facility. He hemorrhaged multiple times and almost died at least twice. He was in the hospital for extended periods of times on 3 different occasions due to the complications he was experiencing. Even while in the rehab center, he was only there for a month before insurance ran out and he was sent home with his wife and oldest son as his primary caregivers. As the cancer continued to rip through Greg's body, Justine started working more to continue to cover the bills for the household and the children. Often working as much as 16 hours in a single day, after finishing job 2 or 3, she would spend her time at Greg's side, talking to doctors, nurses, and trying to figure out how to save his life.

Additional diagnoses were considered: Blood Clots, Cancer of the Lungs. There was diminished blood supply to his spleen and a mass near his pelvis. Full body scans ruled out many possibilities but opened the door for more questions. In June, Greg was rushed to the ER with massive blood loss, resulting in 2 units of blood being given and 2 units of hemoglobin. The medical team couldn't figure out what was causing the bleeding. Eventually, a ruptured rectal artery was cauterized and he was stabilized. This was on June 23, 2024.

June 30, 2024, he was diagnosed with Stage 4 cancer. The surgery that could have helped save him was refused by the Corewell team and not possible for the Trinity team. The family was hoping University of Michigan could help. Facing so many unknowns, Greg began to give up, but Justine never stopped fighting for her love.

On July 23, 2024, the medical team informed Justine and Greg his time was limited, predicting 1 year left in his life. August 1, a hospital bed was installed in the home. They wanted to make sure Greg was comfortable while he was being cared for by the hospice team during the final stages of his life. They began to plan a video diary where Greg would give words of advice to his sons on major occasions, such as graduation, their wedding days, their first born, etc. This plan was never able to be executed.

He was hospitalized on Friday, August 16 due to a stroke caused by being bedbound. On Sunday, August 18, 2024, Justine received word from St. Mary's staff that Greg had "another" stroke, leaving him non-verbal. The CT of his brain, to determine the damage caused by the stroke, revealed multiple lesions in his brain. Cancer. He was given days to live and his care team transitioned him to end of life comfort care.

Greg passed from this world on Monday, August 19, 2024, leaving behind his wife of 25 years, his oldest son (24) and his youngest son (17). His wishes were to be cremated and without life insurance or disability the financial burden rests solely on Justine.

I love my best friend with all my heart and hope this story touches your heart. Every dollar counts toward the total cost of all the services received and the cremation. Justine's sons will have a piece of jewelry containing some of his ashes so their father is with them for the rest of their lives. I will be purchasing a glass blown heart which will contain some of Greg's ashes, so Justine will always have her love with her. Justine will have to continue to work 2-3 jobs and 16 hours per day to recover financially from the medical bills associated with Greg's care. This burden does not end with his death; it is only the beginning.

If you can find it in your heart to donate to the cremation and medical expenses, she would be eternally grateful. All funds donated will be sent directly to Justine and her 2 sons.

Thank you for listening.

Mary