BUCYRUS–The community is rallying around a Bucyrus man who is battling cancer and facing surgery in Cleveland after the holidays.

Mark Betti, 60, is undergoing treatment for esophageal cancer, which was detected in August. Once his rounds of chemotherapy and radiation are complete, doctors at the Cleveland Clinic plan to remove the cancerous tumor in early January.

Tests recently run show that the cancer has not metastasized, according to Betti’s wife, Paula. “They told us that it was caught early and that he’ll more than likely make it through this. They think they can get it out without cutting through the esophagus.”

Betti, who lost his job following three back surgeries, is already receiving overwhelming support from the community – friends, church members, and even strangers who have offered prayers and contributed to a GoFundMe account set up by his daughter, Toni Schafer.

Schafer, a teacher in the Buckeye Central Local Schools, said the account was created to help bring in enough money to pay the monthly bills – basics such as groceries, gas, and electricity – so her parents don’t have to worry, especially since her father is on disability and his health insurance doesn’t kick in until January.

“The love that has already been extended to our family has been absolutely tremendous. It has left my parents speechless,” Schafer said. “This has also been a humbling experience. For a family that rarely, if ever, asks for help, this hasn’t been easy to put ourselves out there.”

Paula Betti, who also works at Buckeye Central, said her husband’s struggles started last summer when he was consistently having a hard time eating food and went to see his family doctor. “He kept saying, ‘I can’t swallow,’ but actually the food was staying in his esophagus and not going into his stomach.”

A scope confirmed the cancer diagnosis, and doctors ordered weekly chemotherapy and radiation every day to help shrink the tumor. That, too, has been difficult, Paula Betti said, after her husband suffered an allergic reaction to the I.V. chemo a week ago, passed out, and was rushed to the hospital.

Betti is now about halfway through his treatment. “Mark’s doing really good. He hasn’t lost his sense of humor,” Paula Betti said.

“I’m very thankful and we’re both amazed that right now when things are so tight, and Christmas is around the corner, people we don’t even know are contributing.”

Schafer said her parents are good, hard-working people who, when she and her brother and sister were growing up, also took in and raised her three younger cousins after their mother was tragically killed. “My parents are both so loving and caring. Even when struggling financially themselves, they will help others in need.”

Hopefully, she said, sharing her father’s story will ultimately help the family in more ways than one. “I’m so proud of my parents as they journey down this difficult road. We believe God has the whole situation in His hands and that dad will be successful in his fight against cancer.”

The GoFundMe link for Mark Betti is https://gofund.me/1f544b3b.