Howell Woman Seeks Funds To Bring Veteran Brother Home

HOWELL, NJ – An online fundraiser started by one Howell resident aims to bring an Army veteran back home to his family for cancer treatment.

Joanne Voorhees of Howell is soliciting funds to transport her brother Bobby – who resides in a small town in Oregon with minimal cancer treatment options – to New Jersey at Sloan Cancer Center where he can receive better care.

"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,” reads the GoFundMe site.

Bobby’s sister says that she has exhausted many options attempting to put a medical transport team together in his small town in Redmond, Oregon. On top of that, according to Voorhees, the VA has "failed" to provide in-home physical therapy and in-home visiting nurse services due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

With minimal treatment options in the small town (according to Voorhees, the closest full VA hospital is over 3 hours away), treatment at Sloan Cancer Center would be her brother’s saving grace.

The Howell resident says that she has been so concerned about her brother that she’s had to call 9-1-1 in New Jersey when he was too weak to answer his phone. "Because of his medical condition the doctors will only sign off on a medical transportation home. Flying Angels, PA approximated between $10,000.00 to $15,000.00," Voorhees wrote.

As of Wednesday afternoon, the fundraiser has accumulated $4,445 out of a $13,500 goal.

"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,” Voorhees added. “The amount I have asked for is 100% to be used on medical flight home.”

Click here to access the GoFundMe page.

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