Kelley having fundraisers to help with surgery, recovery expense

A pizza fundraiser is set for Thursday to help Robert "Rob" Kelley pay for costs of his surgery to remove a tumor behind his left eye, and an online fundraiser has been started, as well.

Kelley said that last June, a tumor was found behind his left eye and that Montana does not have a doctor who can perform surgery that far into the brain, so doctors in Billings referred him to a doctor in Seattle to remove it.

He will be doing a pre-operation visit Tuesday, Jan. 28, and will have surgery Monday, Feb. 3, to remove it, he said.

"We've been trying to raise funds to get it out, and we're pretty close now, so we're trying to get that done and go from there," he said. "After that, they will tell me what kind of treatments, if any I'd have to do beyond that."

He added that he will also have to take at least two months off of work after the surgery for recovery.

The only household income for Kelley, his wife, Deserae, and their blended family of five children, Crysania, 19, Joshua, 18, Sarah, 15, Isaiah, 13, and Naya, 4 is from his work as a medical assistant at Sweet Medical Center and is part-time job at Town Pump in Chinook.

"Whatever people can do, we have kind of let go, let God, and hope that everything works out for the best," Kelley said. "I'm not really from here, I have lived here for almost seven years. My wife is from Chinook and I've always lived in a major city, so having this hometown feel where everyone pulls together when someone is hurting or suffering is a pretty powerful thing."

"It's just very humbling," he added.

When people paying for a dine-in or carry-out purchase at Pizza Hut Thursday say they want to donate to Robert Kelley, 20 percent of the purchase price will go to the fundraiser.

A GoFundMe account also is set up for people to donate to help with costs, https://www.gofundme.com/f/rob-kelley-brain-tumor-recovery-fund .