Staff photo / R. Michael Semple .... Jim D’Errico, 40, who is fighting a rare form of cancer, talks about his experiences from his Liberty Township home. He is trying to raise money to receive treatment at a clinic in Tijuana, Mexico, next year. So far, a gofundme account has raised more than $20,000 for the treatment. Donors can access the account online at https://gofund.me/a999fc30

LIBERTY — Jim D’Errico’s three children have a lot in common: They are well liked by peers and teachers, are honor roll students, play sports and display compassion for others.

They also are big motivators for their father to carry on.

“I can’t give up; I don’t have a choice,” D’Errico, 40, of Liberty, said.

D’Errico, who is on disability and works as a letter carrier for the U.S. Post Office in Warren, is battling a rare type of Stage 4 neuroendocrine cancer, which often is terminal with a one-year life expectancy.

This form of cancer typically is the result of abnormal cell growth in an endrocrime gland, in which cells change and grow out of control. They then can produce malignant and nonmalignant tumors. Since such tumors come from cells that produce hormones, the tumors can make their own hormones and upset the delicate hormonal balance that keeps the body properly functioning, according to the UPMC Hillman Cancer Center.

Despite his grim prognosis, giving D’Errico the added incentive to keep fighting are sons, Aidan, 14, and Antonio, 16, as well as his daughter, Samantha, 7. All of them attend Liberty schools.

DIAGNOSIS AND SURGERIES

D’Errico initially was diagnosed at Trumbull Regional Medical Center for heat exhaustion, but a CT scan revealed he likely had liver cancer. Later at the Cleveland Clinic, D’Errico was informed it was pancreatic cancer that had spread to his liver, he remembered.

“I was told that I don’t have much time left, and to get my affairs in order,” he said.

Nevertheless, D’Errico’s doctor thought he had an infection and that he looked OK, but the brighter news was short-lived because “it turned out to be slow-growing cancer with few symptoms,” D’Errico explained.

Consequently, he had two surgeries about four months apart to get rid of tumors in his spleen, liver and gall bladder, but after the second operation, part of his liver had to be removed, D’Errico recalled.

In 2019, he began receiving several treatments at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center in Columbus that resulted in initial success, though other medical complications caused the tumors in his liver to return after about six months. A second clinical trial “pretty much wiped away all of my cancer,” meaning about 90 percent of the tumors disappeared over time, but somehow afterward, the cancer came back, mutated and began to spread, D’Errico said.

As a result, last month, Wexler Medical Center personnel said they could do nothing more, and the single father of three was advised to seek further treatment elsewhere, he added.

MEXICAN FACILITY

Earlier this year, D’Errico had undergone four additional clinical trials at a facility in Tampa, Fla., mainly to improve his overall qulity of life, he continued.

D’Errico is hoping his next move will be admittance by mid-2023 to the Immunity Therapy Center, a specialized cancer facility in Tijuana, Mexico.

The center provides more than 30 alternative and natural, noninvasive therapies, medicines, treatments and vaccines for numerous types of cancer and autoimmune diseases, according to its website. Some of the treatments have yet to receive approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, but offer D’Errico a last hope for saving his life, friends and family say.

Besides neuroendocrine cancer, the ITC treats appendix cancer, carcinoid tumors, eye cancer, primal central nervous center lymphoma and head and neck cancer, the website shows.

Specifically, D’Errico hopes to undergo several such treatments to prevent the cancer from further mutating. One of those is low-dosage targeted chemotherapy that promises to be less invasive than traditional chemotherapy and is designed to target the precise areas of his cancer, he explained.

The center also will tailor his diet, D’Errico said, adding that he will be treated about 10 hours per day for six days per week for several weeks.

BEST FRIEND

Former Vindicator / Tribune Chronicle sports reporter Joe Simon, who is best friends with D’Errico, said the two graduated from Liberty High School together in 2000, but D’Errico didn’t come to Liberty until his senior year.

“He was the new kid and we had similar interests. We were in a class together, and he just kind of fit in with me and my circle of friends,” Simon said.

The two grew closer after high school and their friendship has grown over the past 20 years.

“He is the kind of guy I can go to with anything. He doesn’t judge, no matter what it is. He has always been there for me, and now I want to be there for him during the fight of his life,” Simon said, noting if he could choose one word to describe D’Errico it would be “loyal.”

He said the two used to play sports together when they were younger, and now they watch sports together, including the Cleveland Browns and Guardians. They also are both North Carolina Tarheels fans when it comes to college basketball and they got to see a national championship game in person a while back.

Simon said he and D’Errico have been on vacations together, and in November 2020, they took a trip to Montana, which Simon said was “one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen.”

Simon is now a qualified mental health specialist for the Liberty Local School District and is also the head football coach at Liberty High School. He lives about a block away from D’Errico.

OBSTACLE

A major obstacle for D’Errico now is raising the estimated $50,000 for the treatment regimen, so several of his friends and family recently set up on his behalf a GoFundMe account, which has raised about $20,000 so far, he noted. To make a donation, go to https://gofund.me/a999fc30.

Receiving a cancer disgnosis can be frightening and stressful for anyone, but it’s vital to network with others and avoid living in isolation, D’Errico said.

“Don’t keep it to yourself; don’t try to do it on your own. Seek help, whether through friends, family or online support groups. … Don’t give up. It’s a constant fight,” he advised, adding, “I’m blessed to have a lot of people in my corner. It affirms there’s a lot of good in the world. I’m grateful for it.”

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