The Inspiration and Motivation Behind Foundation 58
Written by Justin Mhley
Foundation 58 was established in memory of my father Deputy Fire Chief Gabriel A. Mhley. Gabe served as a member of the Hazleton, PA City Fire Department for 17 years before he was forced to retire due to illness at the age of 47.
In the year 2000, he found out that the Ocular Melanoma which he was diagnosed with and overcome in the late 1980's had traveled to his liver. With the insurance companies claiming the treatments required were too experimental to be covered, Gabe turned to family and friends for help. After a year and a half of battling with tumors on his liver, Gabe finally overcame his cancer yet again as it went into remission.
However, in January of 2003, it was discovered that the cancer had traveled once again, this time to his abdomen wall. After an attempt to cure this cancer through chemotherapy, doctors came to the conclusion that it was too late. Gabe was weakened by chemo and the cancer was taking over. On July 7, 2003 Gabriel A. Mhley lost his fight with cancer at the age of 47. He left behind four sons, and his wife Diane.
During the time that he was sick one of the biggest obstacles we had to overcome was paying for medical expenses since our insurance company felt that the treatment was too experimental. After the passing of my father, I decided that this wasn't right and no other families should have to go through what my family and I did. When someone is sick, they should be worrying about getting back to good health, as opposed to finding money to get help. Foundation 58 will help when treatments are "too experimental", and that is by providing financial assistance to fire fighters, police officers, and emergency medical service personnel, throughout the United States, who are diagnosed with cancer. Foundation 58 will try to offset costs such as treatment costs, travel costs, prescription costs, and homecare equipment costs. |
