Help Ross Lucarell With His Ongoing Cancer Battle

Hello friends!

My name is Emily and I'd like to introduce my favorite dad out of all of my friends' dads; Ross Lucarell.

Before I begin, please know that I'm sponsoring this fundraiser on behalf of the Lucarell family because, like many people who find themselves in difficult situations, they feel very uncomfortable asking for financial help. Ross is one of the most giving and selfless people I have ever known! From running the Boy Scouts Camp Stambaugh for 31 years, being a member of the Youngstown Shrine Club, a loving husband, grandfather, and father of 4 it's time for the tables to turn in his favor and I know you'll agree.

The Situation:

Since the fall of 2020, Ross has been suffering from "Metastatic Squamous Cell Carcinoma" (cancer) in 5 areas of his tongue, throat, and vocal cords. To be fair, the majority of us have no idea what that means. I was a stranger to this sort of diagnosis and unless someone close to you has gone through it, you can't even begin to imagine how awful what that person and that family have to endure is. So, to give you an idea of what the last few years have been like for Ross:

-He couldn't speak at all for a little over a year because his vocal cords were paralyzed.

-He will forever have to breathe through a hole in his neck (tracheostomy). This also entails covering the hole with his finger every time he attempts to speak. For most people, this is a temporary situation. Sadly, not for Ross.

-He was unable to lie down to sleep for 2.5 years for fear of suffocating.

-He has to wake up every hour to clean his trach because it gets clogged due to the horrible trauma his throat has gone through. He also had to use a suction machine to clear his tracheotomy several times every hour.

-He couldn't consume any food for almost 2 years. He received his nutrients through a tube surgically implanted into his side, going directly into his stomach.

-Being unable to or barely speak, he couldn't communicate well with his doctor about what he was feeling, therefore letting many issues go unmentioned. It was almost easier to endure the discomfort than the pain and exhaustion of trying to explain himself.

-Like many people have experienced, nothing ever seems to work the first time. He has ended up having to go through at least 12 surgeries/procedures multiple times. The re-opening of those wounds caused multiple infections, including a life-threatening staph infection.

-His esophagus keeps narrowing a little bit more, every single day. This gradually makes it more and more difficult to swallow, until surgery is needed to re-open it. His last surgery was January 9th 2024 to remove scar tissue that is inevitably closing his esophagus. Unfortunately, this surgery will likely be necessary every few months for the rest of his life.

-He has endured 8 months of chemotherapy, 8.5 months of radiation, hyperbaric oxygen therapy, speech therapy, significant weight loss, and the extraction of all of his teeth due to this horrible disease.

Let us not forget that all of the things I've just listed above are INCREDIBLY PAINFUL, physically, emotionally, and psychologically. Also, for him, they're forever. Ross has fought so hard for his life and his family and is now, thankfully cancer-free! But he is tragically left with an endless list of repercussions and ailments that just seems to keep getting longer. This has already been and will continue to be a financial burden that is simply far too heavy.

About Ross:

I have personally known Ross for 34 years. It breaks my heart that his witty humor doesn't get its full credit due to his tracheostomy. To take away his humor is a sort of death in itself. From making us breakfast after a grade-school sleepover to always having a way to make you laugh when you're upset about a boy, I have nothing but the most wonderful memories of him from all those years.

“Ranger Ross”, as he was known by thousands, was the Properties Manager/Camp Ranger at Camp Stambaugh, Camp Stigwandish and Camp Chickagamee for MANY years. He truly stood by the core values that the Boy Scouts of America taught the youth of our area. Hosting sleep-away's for church groups, schools, the Boy Scouts, and Todd’s children’s hospital to name a few. Everyone knew who he was, and everyone adored him.

In 2013 he received a gold pin for 25 years of service as a freemason at Argus Lodge in Canfield, Ohio. This is an organization that has helped raise 15 million dollars a year, in Ohio alone, for scholarships, Special Olympics, elderly care, and needy Ohio families and individuals.

Ross enjoyed his 27 years as a Shriner at the Youngstown Shrine Club, another wonderful organization that raises money for the Shriner hospitals for children.

Ross has a beautiful respect for nature and has always been the ultimate outdoorsman! He's an avid camper, loves fishing, and taking his kids/grandkids to Lake Pymatuming with his wife Jan. As I'm sure you can imagine, he hopes to be able to do some of those things again soon.

Ross and Jan greatly appreciate any donation or well wishes/prayers that anyone has to share. To be able to focus on healing without the stress of finances would absolutely mean EVERYTHING! Thank you all for taking the time to read this.