In Times of Need, Northeast Pennsylvania comes to the aid of its own. In our regular column, we provide a platform for area residents facing a variety of obstacles to create awareness and connect them with much-needed help.
Who: William “Bill” Bochicchio, a 57-years-young Scranton resident, retired from the Single Tax Office after 21 years but decided to stay active by joining Chapman Supply in Clarks Summit as a salesman. The always-helpful family man — who is married to Diane aka “Dee” and gearing up for the September wedding of his son, Brett, 28, to Liz Kearby — also joined the National Ski Patrol at Montage Mountain. When he’s not busy looking out for others, Bochicchio loves doing yard work, walking, biking, taking on repair projects and, of course, being with his family. Their quality time together is all the more precious while Bochicchio undergoes an aggressive chemotherapy regimen (a five-day constant drip every two weeks for a total of four rounds) to combat the diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, which grew from his original diagnosis of chronic lymphocytic leukemia.
What/when/where:Bochicchio’s coworkers at Montage Mountain organized an online GoFundMe.com campaign to raise money, and donations payable to William Bochicchio can be sent to him at P.O. Box 523, Dunmore, PA 18512.
Why: Any money collected will be used for medical expenses, including travel, lodging, meals and lost wages plus unexpected supplies, as Bochicchio and his family go all the way to the University of Pennsylvania’s cancer center in Philadelphia for his in-patient treatments.
In his own words: “My strength and will to win this fight is from the love and daily inspiration from my wife, son and very-near-future daughter-in-law. It’s overwhelming, the generosity, kindness and prayers from family, friends, neighbors and strangers. Messages, receiving cards with inspirational quotes and even the comments on the GoFundMe page make me feel uplifted. Until it happens to you, you don’t realize the impact it has. It takes a lot of stress off you and your family so you can focus on getting healthy. We are overwhelmed with emotion and gratitude. I can’t thank you enough. #BochStrong.”
Submitted Photo
Natasha “Tasha” McCann Gurliacci
Update: Donations still are being accepted for Natasha “Tasha” McCann Gurliacci, a 33-year-old mother of three from South Abington Twp. who is fighting Stage II triple-negative breast cancer. Contributions can be made at GoFundMe.com or sent payable to Natasha M. Gurliacci at 222 Camins Parkway, South Abington Twp., PA 18411. Tickets are still available for $5 each for the 12 Days of Christmas in July Raffle for a Claus in her honor; drawings will be held live on the event’s Facebook page each day between July 14 and 25.
Patrice Wilding is a 13-year employee of the Lifestyles Dept. at The Times-Tribune, where she worked her way up from a clerk to a web video producer to a full-time reporter, writer and copy editor. An Olyphant native, she graduated from Mid Valley Secondary Center and earned a bachelor’s degree in liberal studies with concentration in media arts, political science and communications from Wesley College, Dover, Delaware. She lives in Clarks Summit with her husband, Justin, and their son, Johnny. Contact: pwilding@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9100 x5369; @pwildingTT
