Support Aidan Fertig as he battles stage 4 cancer

We are are family that firmly believes in asking only for what we need, nothing more and nothing less. And when capable we are quick to, in turn, help others. This cancer is bigger than us though and we sure could use all the help we can get.

Aidan’s cancer story:

It came out of nowhere, or so it seemed. The few symptoms he had up until this point were so minute that they raised no major red flags. Nothing that would prepare us for… this. It was three short weeks ago, June 24th to be exact, when I accompanied Aidan to the ER for what we thought was a kidney infection, or stones, or something to that effect. The world basically stopped moving when those CT results came back conclusive and we heard that dreaded word “cancer”. They found a very large mass over Aidan’s right kidney. It shocked the ER doctors, and us of course, that Aidan was in so little pain at that point and had so few symptoms. The hospital then referred us to Urology. From there we learned the cancer had spread to his IVC vein and surrounding lymph node. At the same time, Aidan’s pain started setting in so the doctor ordered a bone scan. That’s when things started taking a turn for the worse and became really scary. They found cancer in all of his bones… unbelievably meaning Aidan is in stage 4. It’s been an absolute whirlwind ever since. All the symptoms are now hitting him at once. He’s been in extreme pain, experiencing nausea and some vomiting, has little appetite and was losing weight rather rapidly. Just a really sick guy overall recently. He’s currently inpatient at Children’s hospital as they run a battery of tests and scans and try to get his pain down to a manageable level. It’s been a really rough few weeks for Aidan and his family; however, we all remain optimistic and positive that Aidan can and will beat this.

We do know we have a long, hard road ahead of us, but Aidan is who I call my “overcomer”. This kid has been through so much in his 19 years and has used every obstacle and every setback along the way to only better himself. Aidan’s birth mom wasn’t in the picture much when he was younger due to drug abuse and now sadly, has passed away in 2017. His father has been rather absent and negligent himself the past several years also due to drug abuse. Despite having to grow up fast and with little guidance from his birth parents, Aidan has grown into the most amazing young man. He has this huge heart and is always quick to help those in need around him. He’s a gifted student, making honor roll in high school and now excelling in college his first year at Mount Saint Joseph University, despite having to work 30 hours a week at the same time to support himself fully. He’s responsible and independent, signing his first lease a few weeks ago with a buddy of his to get their first apartment. He was in his element and absolutely thriving.

Inevitably, the cancer is and will definitely knock him off course a bit and throw a wrench in his plans for the near future, but nothing thing he can’t come back from. In the meantime it will take a lot of help. That’s where I’m hoping you all will jump in. We’re learning super quick that fighting cancer requires an army behind you, especially with such an aggressive cancer. We can’t do this alone. Aidan has applied for short-term disability through his job at Target. That alone won't be enough to cover his expenses though. Initially, our main goal right now is to raise enough money to keep his apartment and maintain his bills. We are at the beginning of his cancer journey though and don’t know what all this will entail for us and what needs Aidan and his family will need down the road. We sincerely appreciate any help we can get from our community along the way.

*Edited on 7/31/23:

We have adjusted our monetary goal due to a couple recent developments. 1, Aidan's car needs quite a bit of work and is currently not drivable. We are hoping to maybe purchase a more reliable car for him as he travels back and forth to doctors appointments and hospitals and such. And 2, unfortunately the apartment at Riverside Terrace Apartments that Aidan and his buddy moved into in June was found to be infested with roaches, unbeknownst to them. We will be attempting to break his lease as soon as humanly possible to get Aidan in a more suitable environment. Aidan has (and will continue to have) a compromised immune system right now due to the chemotherapy. That makes the roach problem a very real threat to his health as it increases the odds of infection. To date, Aidan has had just one chemo session so far. He did remarkable well, until he went home. He developed a nasty internal infection that landing us right back into the hospital for days now. 2nd round of chemo starts today so we feel a need to move rather quickly but that's easier said than done when you put cancer in the mix. Any bit of help would be so greatly appreciated. Thanks for reading.