Help Patrick fight cancer!

Dear Friends,

We are writing to ask for support for one of the best people we know...Patrick (PJ) Mentzer. He is a Father, Husband, Son, Brother, Uncle, Son-In-Law, Brother-In-Law, Cousin, Friend & Veteran. He is also fighting a battle against cancer, for the 2nd time in less than 1 year.

Patrick was diagnosed with Stage 3 colon cancer in January of 2021 at age 35. Patrick and Lorelai had just decided to start a family, and found out they were pregnant a month before diagnosis. He underwent a colon resection in February to remove the tumor and made the choice to endure 3 months of chemotherapy to prevent recurrence and to be there for his family.

Patrick finished chemotherapy in May, achieved No Evidence of Disease and was presumed to be out of the woods. The Mentzers welcomed their baby, Jamie, in August. Patrick had a routine CT scan in mid-December which showed that the original cancer had metastasized to his liver in 6 months time, resulting in 5 new tumors.

After tons of research and consulting with other patients, the importance of a second opinion and care from an expert team for the best prognosis became apparent. To give Patrick the best chance at beating this again, they have transitioned his care to experts at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in NYC. MSK offers a unique therapy, the HAI pump, which Patrick is a candidate for. The Mentzer Family has been traveling to NYC for consults and testing since just before Christmas. Patrick will undergo a liver resection, removing ~30% of his liver at the end of January. This is a major operation with a 6-8 week recovery timeline. He will continue to visit NYC biweekly for testing/monitoring and ongoing treatment with a goal to reach a No Evidence of Disease status again.

Patrick and Lorelai drained their savings to battle this cancer on their own last year, and were not prepared for new major expenses so soon. Donations will be used for medical expenses, travel costs, and to offset other costs during Patrick’s treatment and recovery (meals, childcare, dog care). Please consider contributing any amount you can comfortably give to help Patrick continue to get the best care possible and to reduce stress during this time of need. If you are not able to give, we ask that you please help spread awareness about young onset colon cancer, early screening, and the importance of second opinions.

We appreciate your support!!