John's story begins at the age of four, when he was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma.  He received a new protocol at that time utilizing high-dose radiation therapy. He also required a splenectomy. John is the only one out of 27 children that received this high-dose radiation protocol that has survived. At the age of 19, he had a thyroidectomy for a goiter, a consequence of his radiation therapy. He later developed pulmonary hypertension (elevated pressure on the right side of the heart and lungs) due to scarring of the lungs and blood vessels, another complication of his radiation therapy. Due to this, he required open-heart surgery at the age of 25 to repair his pulmonary artery at the University of California at San Diego Hospital, the only hospital willing to perform the surgery. Since 2008, he has been battling congestive heart failure and now requires a heart and lung transplant. He has currently undergone 20 CT scans, 22 MRIs, 4 MRAs, and 21 angiograms.

John is a graduate of Chaminade High School, and has been its crew coach for many years. He attended Iona College, and achieved a certification in advanced cardiac ultrasound from New York University. He had been the Chief ultrasound technician at Winthrop University Hospital for the past 10 years, helping to train countless cardiology fellows (and often attending physicians) in diagnostic cardiac ultrasonography.  

Along the way he has been a dedicated father, husband, and son as well as a trusted friend. Due to the progression of his disease process, he can no longer work. In order to help him bridge the gap in his health insurance and medical expenses, please join us, along with the "love of his life", Kristine, his two beautiful boys, Jack and Joseph, and the rest of his family and friends as we come together for a banquet in his honor.

John during one of his many trips to the Cleveland Clinic Foundation, where he still regularly travels for treatment and for pre-transplant testing

John at home, where he now

requires oxygen 24/7 to breathe

John with his wife (Kristine) and his sons (Jack and Joseph)