GoFundMe Set Up For Freehold Boro Fireman Battling Chemo Effects

Freehold NJ

19 April, 2021

5:18 PM

Description

FREEHOLD, NJ - Lifelong resident Freehold Borough Billy Anderson has given decades of service to the local community as a volunteer firefighter and a union carpenter. A member of the Sons of the American Legion, he's volunteered his time for local organizations such as The Olde Freehold Day and Freehold Spooktacular Committees and has raised money for veteran and child welfare funds. Now friends and family are urging the community to give back to him. Anderson, 57, has fought and beat cancer 7 times since 2009, a journey that has included many surgeries, countless rounds of chemotherapy, and 40 rounds of radiation, which has resulted in severe side effects. One side effect of the treatment has been necrosis (deterioration) of the jaw. According to a GoFundMe set up for the Freehold Fire Department, Anderson recently endured a 10-hour surgery to replace his jaw with the fibula from his leg, a 10 to 12 hour procedure that resulted in Anderson requiring a tracheotomy and a feeding tube. He is currently recovering for two weeks in the ICU, although he'll endure another five-month recovery period afterward. Anderson's wife Pegreen is also disabled, suffering from several severe autoimmune diseases which causes her to be in a wheelchair. With a 401(k) completely wiped and little savings depleting by the day for the Andersons, their son Drew has taken it upon himself to begin delivering meals through DoorDash to support himself and his family. "I'm just trying to help him out as much as I can because I don't live with him anymore. I'm trying to have at least his feet planted in the right direction," Drew, 35, told Patch. Drew, 35, recalls tremendous support radiating from the Freehold Borough community as his father battled cancer for years, from neighbors offering to mow his lawn to spaghetti dinners hosted by the American Legion. As the coronavirus pandemic descended on New Jersey and social distancing became common practice, ways to help the Anderson family have diminished significantly. And while he isn't sure how long his family will require assistance beyond the already-donated $19,000 given his father's lengthy recovery time, Drew says that any contribution to the GoFundMe page will help. "He's going to be recovering for at least six months and who knows what's going to happen after that," said Drew. "Every little bit helps, but 25 [thousand] is really the short term goal, because it only stretches so far. He's been dealing with cancer for the past 12 years now. It's like, what other obstacles are going to come our way in the future?" Click here to access the Andersons' GoFundMe page.