Gamma Rho Chapter at Florida State University has launched a fundraising campaign to help with the medical expenses for two of their brothers, Oliver Bucknell, and Adam Jankowski, who are currently undergoing treatment for Stage IV cancer.
“As a chapter we felt helpless,” said Billy Capito, the chapter’s Marshal and public relations chair. “One of our brothers suggested we raise money by setting up a fundraising website and offering to shave a brother’s head for every $100 raised.”
The response was immediate. In just four days, Gamma Rho raised $5,000, prompting them to increase their original goal of $10,000 to $25,000.
“We never imagined we would receive such a large response,” Capito said.
Brother Jankowski thought he was just going to the doctor to be treated for flu symptoms in January. The doctor noticed swelling in his abdomen and jaundice in his skin and eyes and ordered multiple tests. When the results of the blood tests came back, the doctor knew something was definitely wrong and sent Jankowski straight to the hospital.
After a few days of tests at the hospital, the doctors were able to diagnose it as lymphoma and by the end of the week were able to narrow it further to a type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma called Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma,” said Jankowski. “B Cells are a type of white blood cell and the diffuse part means that it is spread throughout my body.”
Jankowski has since received two rounds of R-DHAP chemotherapy, and will switch to R-CHOP for the next three to five rounds of treatment. After that, his doctors will determine if his cancer has gone into remission, or if he will require a bone marrow transplant.
Bucknell was diagnosed with Stage III Metastatic Melanoma in February of 2011. He has since had three surgeries and taken two different drugs designed to target the melanoma cells. In 2012, a small cancerous nodule in his right wrist bumped his diagnosis to Stage IV.
“This was an incredibly low point for me,” said Bucknell. “I woke up every day and felt more and more tumors growing under the skin on my back. I could literally feel this monster growing inside of me, day in and day out.”
For the last two months, he has been taking Zelboraf, a target-therapy drug that targets the cellular mutation responsible for tumor growth. Although the drug has been effective, its effects tend to wear off after several months as the cancer develops immunities and finds other cellular pathways to send its reproduction signals through.
“It is a battle that requires the individual to be on the offensive every day,” said Bucknell. “Little things do not bother me anymore. I believe I am one of the most positive people around, and also one of the most blessed. I hope my story is a positive influence to the people that surround me, and may it serve as a reminder of what is really important in life.”
Gamma Rho’s fundraising efforts are ongoing. To make a donation in support of these brothers, click here.
Editor's Note: To Read the Follow-Up Story to this article, click here.