Help Chas Kick Cancer's ASS!
Chas is an Army Veteran. He joined the Army in 2008. After having been enlisted for 8 months, he was deployed to Iraq. He was an Airborne truck driver in Baghdad, and after a few months he became the lead truck gunner. He, just like many others, was lucky enough, despite having been mortared often, to come home unharmed. He received the ARCOM award, and after almost 4 years, got out with an honorable discharge.
Two months ago he was diagnosed with stage 2 Hodgkin's Lymphoma. Although he is stage 2, he is being treated for stage 4. The aggressive chemotherapy he has been receiving has unfortunately been causing delays in treatment. Because of its strength, the chemo has been depleting his white blood cell count, making him too weak to receive treatment. Right now he is on a daily schedule of Neupogen injections, which are very painful, but necessary for him to get back on track with the chemotherapy.
Currently he is receiving some disability, which is not a lot. His wife Tracy is working but doesn't make nearly enough to support the two of them on top of all the medical bills. They've gotten behind and are already seeing too many large medical bills that may cause them to file for bankruptcy.
He is only 28. 28! A 28 year old Army Veteran with cancer, that on top of having to worry about his illness, is now forced to worry about how to get by.
We are working hard on trying to enroll him in any programs through the VA and others that he may qualify for, but once paperwork is submitted it could still be MONTHS before he receives any financial aide (if any at all).
The system is clearly broken, and until it can be fixed, reaching out to our family and friends, and the kindness of strangers is the best we can do for now to try to help Chas and his wife not have to worry about anything other than him getting better.
In his own words to me the other day he said, "I worked hard for what I have and because of an illness that I couldn't control, I may lose it all"
This is my little brother (28 years little) and I am asking for any help at all to get him and his wife through this, not only so they don't lose it all, but so that he can come away from this with a strong sense of knowing that he is not alone and there are lots of people by his side.