An area man, Anthony Di Laura, has had a desperate fight with cancer and has survived to this point, but time may be running out.

At the beginning of the pandemic, Anthony and his wife Jackie got the happy news that they were expecting their first child. Then, six months later, they got the devastating news that Anthony had cancer of the appendix.

As someone who survived cancer, I can assure you that getting that news turns your world upside down, I can only imagine the pain of getting that diagnosis while your wife is pregnant.

The cancer spread and Anthony has endured multiple surgeries, endless chemotherapy and still no relief. While the doctors recommended hospice care, Anthony and his family continue to seek out any procedure or medicine that can help him fight his cancer.

In something of a miracle itself, they discovered another man that had Anthony’s exact problems and who was one of the first American patients to have a new life-saving transplant surgery at Cleveland Clinic.

Anthony has been approved by the doctors to have the exact same surgery at the Cleveland Clinic, but now there is a new obstacle: his insurance company. They have denied his life-saving surgery three times now and his family is desperate for help. Anthony is only 33 and now has two small children.

The family has set up a GoFundMe page to try to help defray the bill should insurance continue to deny him (Anthony can’t work and his wife, who just gave birth in June, is supporting the family). They are hoping to raise $250,000 for Anthony.

If you can help, the GoFundMe is here.

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