CORTEZ – Former Cortez resident Rose Lipke has started an online fundraiser for her brother BJ Lipke’s newly-discovered battle with cancer.
Last week, Rose Lipke, a well-known local artist who now lives in Bradenton, created the “Help BJ Lipke Fight Stage 4 Lung Cancer” GoFundMe page.
The GoFundMe page includes a narrative written by Rose.
“A little over two weeks ago, my brother BJ Lipke was in a car accident. He suffered no injury from that but when they checked him at the ER they discovered a mass in his lung and some spots in his brain. Two days later we got a diagnosis of stage 4 lung cancer that had metastasized to his brain. He has no insurance, can’t drive or work and has started radiation treatment to shrink the tumors in his brain. Chemotherapy is next when the radiation is finished,” she wrote.
“BJ is one of the most genuine, kindest souls I have ever known, and he is stubborn and a fighter. In just a few short weeks, we – BJ, myself, my brother Jim and sister Julie – have had literally thousands of dollars in out-of-pocket expenses to keep him in his apartment and get him into treatment quickly,” she wrote.
“Many of you have already offered and given help directly and we are so humbled and thankful. We have only just begun this fight, so if you can, please help us help him with whatever you can. Thank you and please keep us in your thoughts for the long weeks and months ahead,” her narrative says in closing.
When interviewed Saturday, Rose said, “It was a pretty hard blow. It’s one of those things where your life changes in an instant.”
She said her brother was working in the Coral Shores neighborhood as a maintenance man for Island Property Maintenance and his boss, who was following behind him, witnessed him get in a single-car accident while making a turn without ever hitting the brakes.
“The CAT scan later showed he had two previous mini-strokes, but they couldn’t tell when they happened. We think he blacked out. He doesn’t really remember the accident. He remembers being fished out of the car and that’s it. He went in to get checked for the accident and they found the other stuff and confirmed it,” Rose said.
She said BJ spent the past two years living in Tennessee, where his son lives. He returned to the Cortez area about three weeks ago and is living in an apartment near the Cortez Clam Factory.
“He had just moved back. I’m glad he’s here because he’s got a lot more support here,” Rose said.
“He’s just a great human being. He tended bar at the Cortez Kitchen for many years. He was at the Clam Factory for a long time,” she said of her brother. “He’s got a lot of people here and so far it’s been overwhelming the number of people who’ve reached out to him directly.”
Regarding the online fundraiser, Rose said, “He wants to stay in his apartment as long as he can. He can’t drive because of the brain tumor diagnosis and his truck was totaled. And he can’t really work because we’re going to be doing radiation treatments.”
Rose said her 63-year-old brother had no idea he had cancer until the recent accident occurred.
“He had Hodgkin’s lymphoma 20 years ago and beat it. He’s upbeat and fighting this and he’s optimistic and in good spirits,” she said.
As of Sunday evening, the BJ Lipke GoFundMe page had received nearly $5,200 in online donations.
