"PAPA STRONG"   

 Ben (BJ) Holbrook  

Ben William Holbrook Jr (aka) “BJ” has always been described as someone who was “All Heart”.  A caring, service oriented, family man who would drop anything to lend a hand to anyone who needed it, and I can attest to that, being a recipient of his help on numerous occasions.

BJ lives for Family, Friends, Service, Sports, good laughs, and good food.  We call him an amateur “foodie” because of his love for good food and his ability to enjoy good food even after chemo, wisdom teeth extraction, or any other illness or affliction that plagued him.   During chemo, his sisters said “if he ever loses his appetite, we are going to be extremely worried.  

On Jan 3rd, BJ went in to have some growths removed from inside his bladder that turned out to be a high-grade bladder cancer tumor that had grown into the bladder wall. The diagnosis rocked the family’s world.

Family means everything to BJ.  He and his wife Julie between them have 8 kids, and 2 grandkids. BJ loves and would do anything for his children and those two grandkids.  The 2 grandkids think their Papa BJ is awesome!  He would sacrifice is own comforts for others.  As a boy, his family was going out to dinner and BJ went to his room and took money from his bank and when his sisters wanted money for the candy machine at the restaurant, he took out 3 quarters from his pocket, one for each of his sisters, bringing nothing for himself.

During his chemo treatments, his most pressing concerned was his family’s needs.  He expressed on several occasion what he needed most was help with his family’s needs.  The only thing he asked for himself was for help getting him something that sounded good to eat. 

Even with his Bladder cancer diagnosis, BJ has remained positive and told us he felt at peace with what ever happened.  His only worry was his family.  

BJ grew up serving others.  He followed his grandfather around doing “the yards” of the apartment building his grandparents managed, hauling hay, moving water pipes to keep the hay fields watered. He was always rewarded with a Whopper at Burger King his grandfather would promise after a hard day of work.  Are you seeing a pattern here?

BJ still faces surgery to remove his bladder, prostate, and lymph nodes in his pelvic area which increases his chances for survival. Going through the diagnostic surgery, chemo and recovery from chemo, and pending surgery, he hasn’t lost his sense of humor, his positivity, his caring and loving concern for others and his inner strength to battle this ugly foe we call cancer (oh, and for good food).  

Many have reached out to express their love and desire “to do something “and we greatly appreciate your willingness to help.  Some amazing friends have reached out to “Friend to Friend”, an organization that organizes fundraising events to help families with the overwhelming costs of treatment.  This is such a huge weight on the family’s shoulders.  His family and friends, and those angels who started the ball rolling, want to help with this burden and we want you to know how grateful we would be for any support. Our thoughts, love and prayers are with BJ and his family during the days ahead.

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