Brianna Gountis
Staff Writer
ESU alumnus, Chase Berlin. is raising funds for his upcoming surgery and is seeking the help from his ESU community.
In an email to The Stroud Courier, Berlin asked for his story to be shared with his ESU family.
“I have had cancer twice and currently am at UPenn because I just had a third of my lung removed after we found 2 masses in my lungs,” he wrote in an email.
Berlin is a 26-year-old resident of Bucks County, Pennsylvania, and has been battling various forms of cancer since 2011.
His struggles and treatments first began in March 2011 when he was diagnosed with stage 3 clinical cancer. It began as testicular cancer that had spread through his lymphatic system and eventually into his lungs.
Since then Berlin has been in and out of remission and chemo treatments and has had multiple surgical tumor removals.
Despite all of his hardships he contributed as much as he could to his fraternity and his school work and always kept a positive attitude.
He worked hard to ensure that he graduated on time with a degree in exercise science and a concentration in pre therapeutic science and was also an active member of his fraternity Sigma Pi despite his challenges.
His most recent struggle occurred Dec. 23 2020, when the masses in his lungs grew too large and required removal.
Berlin is currently at UPenn recovering from surgery to remove the right middle lobe of his lungs and is awaiting a decision on further chemo treatments.
Cancer treatments and procedures are financial burdens for many. Luckily, Berlin’s good friend and fraternity brother Dominick Carlucci set out to raise the funds for Chase’s medical expenses.
Carlucci has organized a page on GoFundMe where anybody who is able can donate funds to Berlin’s treatments.
“This surgery and foregoing treatments will have a huge unneeded financial burden on him and his family. They have already sacrificed so much with all of Chase’s previous medical needs,” writes Carlucci.
The GoFundMe page seeks to provide for Berlin and his family as they undergo these hardships.
Carlucci is hoping to ensure that his friend has the support he needs.
“Chase is the strongest, most non complaining man I know,” and Carlucci hopes to be able to share the compassion and kindness that Berlin has shown towards him,” Carlucci writes.
The GoFundMe has already received more than 28,000 dollars in donations and is over half-way to its goal of 50,000 dollars. Carlucci and Berlin both continue to express their gratitude for those who have donated and shared.
Berlin reached out to his ESU community hoping that his story and page could be shared and that his community would support him in whatever way possible. He also expressed extreme gratitude for those who have organized and donated funds for him and his family.
You can find more information or donate on his GoFundMe page.
Email Brianna at:
bgountis@live.esu.edu
