The Irizarry Family of Youngstown Ohio

My name is Andrew and I created a Gofundme for my dad, Angelo, and his two kids that live with him Madison and Elijah.

In November of 2014, Angelo and his children's lives changed when he was diagnosed with colon cancer.

After a lengthy hospital stay, surgery to remove most of his large bowel and port placement with chemo, he was deemed cancer free.

Although the cancer never came back, Angelo's successive rounds of chemotherapy left him unable to work at the only skilled trade he'd ever known, as a welder.

Fast Forward to Nov 2023. Angelo was excited to meet his newest grandchild, expected in Feb, when he was diagnosed with Lymphoma. A shocking blow to the family, with Madison set to graduate high school and Elijah turning 16 and getting ready to drive. Angelo was determined to overcome cancer yet again. He had another chest port placed, and started his second fight with cancer by starting chemotherapy.

In Jan 2024, after three rounds of chemotherapy, Angelo suffered a large brain bleed (hemorrhagic stroke). He would have been in a bad way, had his youngest son not been awake upstairs and heard Angelo fall out of bed in the middle of the night.

Angelo was brought to the hospital, into the CVICU where a coma was induced in order to keep his pressure and anxiety low. Angelo would wake up two days later, without the use of his left side and with mumbled speech. He is unable to swallow, is on tube feed, and is getting frequent physical therapy to gain his strength back. His "thumbs up" and waves hello and goodbye give his family assurance. Unfortunately, recovery will be long and uncertain.

With Angelo in the hospital, the family is spread very thin. The two minor children need their cars worked on to be operable, odds and ends to finish high school and to get Madison started on her college work. They are also staying with oldest brother, Angel, who has had his own battles with colon cancer on more than one occasion with multiple surgeries, and just got back to work. Middle children Giovanni and Andrew were at bedside as much as they could be until Andrew's 35 week pregnant wife had a scare at the hospital, in which he had to fly back to his home and be with her, and Giovanni is in nursing school full time.

Times are tough for everybody right now. If you can't give, I do not want you to give. I would never ask someone to pick between their own family and mine. But, if you are in a position to help such a caring, goofy, energetic, and first-to-help-you-if-you-needed-him person like Angelo, to help keep the lights on and get the younger kids some food, toiletries, and to help get them driving, we'd greatly appreciate it. Additionally, if you're a cook, some food for the young kids would be amazing, as we teach them how to eat healthy and live independently.

Thanks for taking the time to read this. Which isn't even half of what this man has been through. The fact that he is alive is a miracle. We are hoping for one more miracle and can't thank the nurses and doctors at CVICU St. Elizabeth enough. Their professionalism and compassion is why we are still in the fight.