Community Support Needed for Victorville Deputy Battling Stage 3 Esophageal Cancer

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VICTORVILLE – A deputy with the Victorville Station is facing a battle that none of his training could have prepared him for.

Rene Garcia and his wife, Heather recently had a baby boy, Zachariah. Deputy Garcia, 33, began having difficulty swallowing and saw his doctor to find out the cause. During the follow-up, including testing, a large mass was located at the bottom of his throat which was found to be stage 3 esophageal cancer. The diagnosis was 5 months ago on May 31, 2017. The treatment began right away and Rene continued working the entire time during the 9 rounds of chemotherapy and 25 sessions of radiation. Thinking about his family and his responsibilities, he saved his sick time for a surgery that had been planned.

His wife Heather also continued to work as a second-grade teacher in Rancho Cucamonga through this all. According to the YouCaring fund that was set up to help the family, Heather used her sick days during her maternity leave. Deputy Garcia is looking at around 3 months off of work following his November surgery with most of his esophagus being removed and a portion of his stomach being removed in order to attempt to remove the cancer. Deputy Garcia will need a special bed for the rest of his life in order to keep his head elevated. The time off work that will be required of both Deputy Garcia and his wife, as well as new things that will be required for his care, will definitely take a financial toll on the family.

Family and friends of the Garcia family want them to be able to focus on getting deputy Garcia well and not on what could, without the help of the community, can lead to a financial devastation. They are asking for anyone willing to help, to contribute what they can to the YouCaring Fund that was set up for the Garcia family.