There are few people in The Retrospect area that have not crossed paths with John Wapenski, the altruistic local handyman that offers appliance services in a pinch and is always willing to lend a helping hand. Now the man who has helped so many needs a helping hand himself.

In the middle of February, Wapenski was diagnosed with stage IV pancreatic cancer. In a Facebook post sharing his diagnosis, he said that he went to the doctor for some pain in his back and quickly discovered he was dealing with late-stage cancer. The former Marine who has never charged a fellow veteran for appliance services started treatments a few weeks ago while the community he has given so much to rushes to his aid.

“He’s a really humble guy,” said Luke Ogden, a friend of Wapenski’s on Sunday. Ogden is spearheading a fundraising campaign for Wapenski. He is collecting donations at his house on Reeve Ave. and delivering them to Wapenski and his family each evening.

Although Wapenski works for the Collingswood School District, Ogden explained that his medical benefits expire after 90 days of leave at which point he will need to obtain COBRA benefits. But with the outpouring of support and plans for additional fundraisers this spring, the family hopes to have their bases covered.

The proceeds from Porchstock on March 25, an offshoot of the popular Collingswood music festival Porchfest will be donated to the Wapenski family. A March Madness pool and community fundraiser at the Westmont fire hall are also in the nascent stages of planning. Ogden added that planning and brainstorming from the community have been overwhelming and encouraging. “People are offering to chip in wherever they can and it all goes to support a great guy and his family.”

The support has been humbling for Wapenski who prides himself on helping others. “He helped so many people and he did it out of a sense of service to the community, that he’s not used to being the center of attention and on the receiving end of goodwill,” Ogden added.

In his Facebook post sharing Wapenski’s diagnosis and calling for support, Ogden explained that Wapenski began evangelizing about clothes dryer cleanings after a dryer fire at his house. Since then, he has offered a dryer cleaning service in the area, building a client base that covers a wide area. Ogden also asked for words of encouragement with each donation. “He has read every card,” Wapenski’s wife Dawn said on Tuesday. “Sometimes the messages bring him to tears because he’s just so thankful and humbled by the support.”

Being a patient has been a role reversal for Wapenski. He has two kids, Jacie who is 26 and Logan who is 15. Logan has special needs and Wapenski and Dawn work each day to support their family.

Wapenski’s thumbprint on the community can be found in many familiar places. He is a 1986 alumnus of Collingswood High School and has contributed several important pieces of work to the district. Ogden explained that he built the signs in front of several Collingswood elementary schools and also built the broadcast desk for the CHS television studio. Wapenski has posted other projects he’s created for various classrooms in the school district and also preserved several areas at the high school football stadium.

Late-stage pancreatic cancer can be very difficult to beat. However, in the Wapenski home, surrender is not an option. Wapenski just returned from the hospital after undergoing five chemo treatments to keep the spread at bay. Dawn explained that he will undergo additional chemo treatments every two weeks and be re-imaged at the end of March to see if the treatments have slowed the spread.

“We have our good days and our bad days,” Dawn shared. “Some days he rests a lot and others he is as close to his normal self as he can be.” She added that it has been difficult to keep him from responding to Facebook inquiries about appliance issues but she said he is doing the best he can to focus on his treatment. As recently as Sunday, he provided an update on his condition and where people can find quality appliance service. But he also left a few words of encouragement for his fans.

“It’s not over till the fat lady sings,” Wapenski wrote on Sunday. “You all know that I’m a fighter and I plan on taking the long road home. Any fans of firefly know the old saying… when you can’t run, you crawl. When you can’t crawl…when you can’t do that, you find someone to carry you. I may need you all to carry me for a little bit.”

Donations can be sent directly to the Wapenski family using Paypal at Wapenski@comcast. net and Venmo at @John-Wapenski. Donations can also be delivered to Luke Ogden at 12 Reeve Ave. in Westmont.