How many kids do you have and what are their ages?
I’m a dad to a 6 year old son who makes sure there is never a dull moment around our house!
How long have you lived in Columbus and what made you decide to live here?
I’ve lived in Columbus for 35 years. I moved here from Pittsburgh when I was a kid for my dad’s job. After going to college at Miami University it was my goal to move back home and marry my amazing wife Megan. We met in high school and have been together ever since, living happily in Columbus!
What do you enjoy doing as a family in your free time?
We love to get outside! We go on family bike rides, play catch and work on baseball skills, read books in our hammock, and just enjoy being with one another. Our favorite travel destination is Hilton Head, so we look forward to getting out there once or twice a year as well.
Tell us about your charity, Worth the Wait and how it came to be.
Worth the Wait started after Megan and I were having a conversation about giving back during the COVID pandemic. I was diagnosed with cancer at age 26, and Megan became my caregiver after being married for 3 years. Our lives were basically put on hold while I had surgery and received chemotherapy. Once all of that was behind us, we needed to wait an additional year or so to try to start a family. It took us 2+ years and many thousands of dollars in fertility treatments and intervention to finally have our son. We wanted to help young adult cancer survivors with the financial aspect of both fertility preservation and fertility treatments, adoption or surrogacy after a cancer diagnosis, since the fertility aspect is rarely covered by insurance, even for a cancer patient/survivor.
What have been some of the most rewarding aspects of starting a charity?
The most rewarding aspect for me is being able to offer hope to young adult survivors during a time when hope can be hard to come by. Megan and I believe it’s so important for us to personally connect with our grant recipients to let them know that they’re not alone throughout both the cancer journey as well as the journey to becoming parents following cancer. We are also very passionate about advocating on behalf of cancer patients.
What is the grant application process for potential recipients?
You can request an application for assistance on our website
www.worththewaitcharity.com. We have two different programs – assistance for fertility preservation prior to receiving cancer treatment, and a post-cancer treatment family building grant. We ask for a tax return, a letter from an oncologist or primary care physician, and a personal reference. Once we receive a completed application we will let the applicant know of the decision within 10 days for the fertility preservation grant. For a family building grant, we let applicants know of the decision on quarterly cycles, in January, April, July, and October.
What are some of the ways that people can support Worth the Wait?
We are a public charity, meaning we are completely dependent on public support to continue our mission! A donation to Worth the Wait helps us continue to provide the hope of parenthood to as many young adult cancer survivors as possible.
What does a typical day look like for you?
Worth the Wait is my passion project, but my full-time career is as a financial planner at an independent advisory firm called Summit Financial. I’m the CFO of the firm and an advisor to many families in the Columbus area as well as around the US. I typically wake up early and exercise before making breakfast for my son. After that I’ll go to the office for the day. Once work is done, it’s family time which includes dinner together and playing outside depending on the weather. Once my son is in bed for the night, I try to get some work done for Worth the Wait, relax with Megan, and finally get some sleep!
What is your favorite thing about being a dad?
I love getting to see the world again through the eyes of my son. Megan and I have been through a lot in our lives, which really helped shape our perspective. We are committed to being very intentional, loving parents to our son, and teaching him that life can be such a rewarding experience even though you will encounter adversity and hardships.
What is the best piece of advice you have received from another dad?
The best piece of advice I’ve received from another dad would have to be that there is such power to being present and involved in your child’s life. Time goes by so fast and before we know it, our kids are grown. You can never get that time back, so don’t waste it!
