Co-Workers Start Fundraiser for Kings Park Man Battling Brain Cancer

A Kings Park woman's co-workers are reaching out to the community to help raise funds to help a local husband and father battle against brain cancer. 

Rebeca Sanchez, a co-worker of Kings Park resident Kim Massa, has created a Give Forward fundraiser to help Kim and her husband, Jim Bubeck, who is battling stage 3 brain cancer. 

"It’s really rough on the family," Sanchez said, noting Bubeck has three children who attend Kings Park schools. "We as co-workers wanted to help her. We decided to put this page together to reach out to friends, co-workers to raise money and donate towards medical expenses."

Jim Bubeck began having small leg seizures, the first symptoms of two brain tumors in November 2007, according to Sanchez. Bubeck has his first surgery on Dec. 18, 2007, and underwent chemotherapy. 

On May 30, 2013, Bubeck went for a follow-up MRI that showed his brain tumor has started growing again. He underwent a second surgery on May 31 that removed most of the tumor. 

Sanchez said the family received further bad news on Oct. 10 when Bubeck went for an MRI that revealed his tumor had grown substantially. He went in for surgery on Monday, Oct. 21 at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City. 

"They had no choice but immediate, emergency surgery to remove the tumor. They removed as much as possible," Sanchez said. "This is his second surgery in four months." 

Bubeck is currently in the Intensive Care Unit at Mount Sinai Hospital in recovery, visited daily by Kim. He is expected to be moved to a rehabilitative center soon. 

Sanchez said the cancer has taken a financial toll on the Kings Park family as Bubeck has been unable to work, the costs of medical treatment and surgeries and travel expenses in and out of New York City.

She and her fellow co-workers have made an initial goal of raising at least $25,000 to help Bubeck's family, with hopes of raising more if possible to defray medical expenses. The family is awaiting results of testing to see if Bubeck's brain cancer has advanced to stage 4. 

"They want to try an experimental therapy in hopes of extending his life," Sanchez said. 

Bubeck's Give Forward fund can be found here, with donations of $14,800 out of $25,000.  His high school senior daughter has shared college essay that describes how her life has changed since her father was diagnosed with brain cancer in 2007. 

"The children look forward to looking at the page everyday to see the update and the comments," Sanchez said.