You can help a cancer-stricken veteran come home to Jersey (Opinion)

Joanne Voorhees has reached out to everyone she could possibly think of. She's trying to get her brother Bobby, a veteran who's battling cancer in Oregon back home to New Jersey.

According to her GoFundMe page:

"After numerous attempts with many charitable organizations, I am here trying to secure medical air transportation for my brother Bobby, to come home to the east coast to be with his family & receive cancer treatment from his current location of Oregon. He is a US Army Veteran. Top cancer treatments are available in New Jersey at Sloan Cancer Center." According to Voorhees, Oregon doctors say there's nothing they can do.

Voorhees, who's from Howell, goes on to say in the page: "We are asking assistance at this time to provide a medical transport team from his small town in Redmond, OR, which only has a VA clinic anywhere within reach. Treatment options are minimal there. The closest full VA hospital is over 3 hours away. The VA failed to provide in-home physical therapy and/or in-home visiting nurse services, due to COVID-19."

Voorhees has been so concerned not being able to reach her brother that she's had to call 911 in New Jersey when he was too weak to answer his phone. Voorhees says Bobby was served two terms in the army wants to come home to New Jersey. "Because of his medical condition the doctors will only sign off on a medical transportation home. Flying Angels, PA approximated cost between $10,000.00 to $15,000.00," Voorhees also said in the post.

Joanne texted me and said this:

"He was admitted back to the hospital in Bend, Or ON 8/10 with an open wound infection that wasn't noticed or treated by staff from the Rehabilitation Center where he was for rehab from an earlier IUT infection that left him extremely weak and unstable to walk.I was notified by a surgeon on 8/11 that surgery would be needed to remove the skin that had died around the infected area and would require a colostomy bag and many more surgeries. He said with your brother's terminal cancer, I don't think he'd be able to handle it. So it wasn't done.

 

The next day another Dr. called me and said the wound, will never heal being his body is fighting cancer and a sepsis infection. But she took him into surgery to put a KCI wound vac machine in place and said it will remain on for the rest of his life. They have told me there is no treatment available for his cancer because it is spreading and he is getting weaker. They have no trails there that could possibly slow the spread. So he has not received any cancer treatment there since being diagnosed at the end of June. The appointment with the oncologist was to be on 8/18 before this setback. His caseworker called on Monday after meeting with the staff and is recommending hospice now. Which at this point, have not agreed on. My brother wants to come home to N.J for better treatment places a second option for clinical trials that is not available there."

Joanne Voorhees says on her page "I love him very much and can't bear to lose another sibling without doing everything in my power to bring him home for medical attention.

To see the full GoFundMe page click here.

The post above reflects the thoughts and observations of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Steve Trevelise. Any opinions expressed are Steve's own. Steve Trevelise is on New Jersey 101.5 Monday-Thursday from 7pm-11pm. Follow him on Twitter @realstevetrev.

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