Spaghetti dinner to help Campbell schools worker awaiting transplant

CAMPBELL

It’s been a tough 10 months for Robert and Justine Truslow of Lowellville.

The couple knew Robert had liver problems for more than a year, but it wasn’t until January when his liver disease became serious enough for him to cut back on work as a Campbell schools technology administrator.

“He wasn’t able to be upright for long periods of time,” Justine said.

Justine said doctors at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center diagnosed him with complete cirrhosis in May, along with liver cancer. She said the illness came as a shock to family members, as Truslow is not an alcoholic, and the disease does not run in his family.

Waiting through Robert’s illness has taken a toll on his family’s time, energy and money. Justine said the hospital visits the past year, along with an actual transplant, will cost upward of $600,000, which she said is a serious financial burden on the family of four.

“We’ve cut back on a lot already and are burning through our savings,” she said. “We’re down to my income as a fourth-grade teacher at Campbell City Schools since Robert’s benefits from the school ran out in September.”

Jackie Giuriceo, Campbell resident and a cousin of Justine’s, said after hearing about the family’s financial struggles, she decided to plan a spaghetti dinner Nov. 2 at the St. Maron Church Hall in Youngstown to raise money. She said she hopes to raise between $6,000 and $7,000 for the Truslow family from the event.

Read more about the family and the event in Wednesday's Vindicator or on Vindy.com.