I am a cancer survivor!
Six months after getting married to my beautiful wife, Cynthia Steinbacher, while vacationing in Florida, I experienced the worst pain of my life. I was rushed to the local hospital where I was diagnosed with kidney cancer. They wanted to immediately to take me to surgery to remove my kidney, which was fully engulfed with cancer. I insisted on flying home where I could be close to my family.
With a catheter in tow, Cindy and I jumped on the next plane back to Cleveland and went directly to the hospital. Within a few days, while heading to surgery, I remember my family stopping me to kiss me. I was not sure if that was my kiss goodbye or not. I was in such excruciating pain that if It was my time to go I was in peace with it. It was in God's hands. I did feel sorrow for those that I would possibly be leaving behind (In particular my wife, Cynthia, and son, Jamie, and their families).
When I woke up several hours after surgery I'll never forget thinking I'm still alive!
For months thereafter Cindy would take me to church every Sunday, where I would sit in the back, too weak to stand, and thank God for allowing me to still be here. I had lost close to 30 pounds.
For the next 5 years I would be have blood tests and cat scans done on a regular basis. After 5 years I was considered cancer free. This all started 9 years ago for me. I still thank God every day for allowing me to still be here.
I would like to have you consider giving to St Jude's in whatever small or large donation that you can afford. Hopefully, the children or their families will be able to tell their stories in the future. Thank you for your consideration.
God Bless.
I am raising funds to support St. Jude Children's Research Hospital's lifesaving mission of finding cures for children battling cancer and other life-threatening diseases, and I need your help to reach my fundraising goal.
How your donation helps:
- Families never receive a bill from St. Jude for treatment, travel, housing or food — so they can focus on helping their child live
- Treatments invented at St. Jude have helped push the overall childhood cancer survival rate from 20% to more than 80% since it opened in 1962. And we won't stop until no child dies from cancer.
- St. Jude shares the breakthroughs it makes, and every child saved at St. Jude means doctors and scientists worldwide can use that knowledge to save thousands of children.
Thank you for your support! Together we can help St. Jude change the world.
