Bobby's story begins just after high school. Bobby married his high school sweetheart and then joined the United States Navy where he served for six years.
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After the Navy, Bobby worked as an industrial electrician for a while, and was then offered a business opportunity with Snap-On. Bobby’s business did very well and provided for his wife and two children.
In 2008, when the economy tanked, Bobby’s small business was hit hard. Being dependent on the automotive industry, and being a sole proprietor, there wasn’t much he could do to survive. Bobby stuck it out as long as he could, and then went out of business. Read more...
After many of defaulted accounts, there was a huge deficit, and there was no bailout for Bobby. He had too much dignity to just roll it all up and declare bankruptcy. So Bobby did what he felt was the ethical thing to do and compiled all the debt he had accumulated and took out a second mortgage on his home to pay it off.
In the midst of this, Bobby started developing severe headaches. He went to see his family doctor. The doctor did not see anything wrong with Bobby and chalked it up to stress, but the headaches persisted. Eventually Bobby went to see a specialist and, after an MRI, the brain tumor you see pictured at right was discovered. Read more...
On May 8th of 2009, Bobby went in for brain surgery. The surgery was a success, and over the course of the next year, Bobby made a full recovery.
Bobby returned to work as an industrial technician and Bobby's wife began teaching again. Together, they were making progress paying off the business debt, the debt acquired during recovery, and medical bills. They kept a tight belt on their finances and did not live an extravagant life. Read more...
Over three years later Bobby's tumor has returned. Bobby had surgery again on November 5th, 2012 during which the oncologists were able to remove 80% of his tumor. He is in recovery now and is recovering well, but is facing chemotherapy and radiation treatment to deal with the remaining 20% of the tumor.
Bobby is still in the middle of paying for his business losses and medical debt, in addition to paying for his home, every day bills and supporting his wife and children. Bobby’s medical bills continue to mount, and with the radiation and chemotherapy Bobby continues to miss a lot of work days.
So we're not actually insinuating that you can help fix Bobby's brain. He has a team of oncologists at UVA for that. What you can do is help fill in the gap financially for Bobby and his family. Read more...
The idea for creating this Website was the brain child (hehe…get it?) of Bobby’s cousin and a Creative Director mastermind. As this idea was being discussed with Bobby, Bobby came up with the idea to create an organization which would specialize in outreach and awareness for individuals in Bobby’s situation. Read more...
future
1993
After High School, Bobby joined the United States Navy, married his high school sweetheart, and served his country from 1993-1999. Bobby served with 2 squadrons, VX1 (Airborne Experimental Squadron 1) and VAW-123 (Airborne Early Warning Squadron 123).
In 1999, Bobby and his wife decided to start a family, which he didn’t want to do in the Navy due to the travel and long months spent off-shore. Over the next few years, Bobby and his wife had two beautiful children
2008
In 2008, when the economy tanked, Bobby’s small business was hit hard. Being dependent on the automotive industry, and being a sole proprietor, there wasn’t much he could do to survive. Bobby lives in a rural area and as a result there are limited customers. Unfortunately, Bobby’s customers were hit just as hard as he was by the collapsing economy.
In only 6 months, Bobby had lost a third of his customers.
Bobby stuck it out as long as he could, and then went out of business.
2008
In the midst of this, Bobby started developing severe headaches. He went to see his family doctor. The doctor did some routine tests but couldn't find anything wrong with Bobby. He chalked it up to stress, but the headaches persisted.
After going back several times, his family doctor eventually sent him to see a specialist. The specialist was curious about Bobby’s Navy history. He asked “During your service in the Navy, you spent a lot of time on the flight deck? Did you ever have issues with stress then?” Bobby answered no. The specialist replied “then I don’t think you’re stressed out now, and I want an MRI!”
Shortly afterward, Bobby went in for an MRI, and it was then that they discovered the tumor in his brain. The specialist referred Bobby to a surgeon at the University of Virginia Medical Center the next day. After some consultation with Bobby and a team of oncologists, the doctors decided the best option for Bobby was surgery.
2010
Bobby returned to work as an industrial technician for PCA, a cardboard manufacturing company. Bobby's wife began teaching again as an Art Teacher for the local school district. Together, they were making progress paying off the business debt, the debt acquired while he was off and recovering, and the medical bills.
They kept a tight belt on their finances and did not live an extravagant life. They sold property, vehicles, and liquidated retirement funds in an effort to keep up with their expenses.
TODAY
So we're not actually insinuating that you can help fix Bobby's brain. He has a team of oncologists at UVA for that. What you can do is help fill in the gap financially for Bobby and his family. Everything you purchase or donate on this Website will be used to help pay medical bills, the outstanding medical debt, and keep food on the table.
Our goal for Bobby is $50,000, which will aid in paying off his $31,000 in medical bills and over $20,000 in lost income (increased debt) due to being out of work for surgery and treatment.
THE FUTURE
The idea for creating this Website was the brain child of Bobby’s cousin and a Creative Director mastermind. As this idea was being discussed with Bobby, Bobby came up with the idea to create an organization which would specialize in outreach and awareness for individuals in Bobby’s situation. While the intent of this Website is to help Bobby and his family, an ulterior motive is to use this initiative as an example of what could be accomplished for countless others around the world.
If this approach works for Bobby, the team that worked together to build this Website is prepared to continue their efforts for others who may find themselves in Bobby's situation. Please stay tuned!