Brandy Bobolas believes she was born to make an impact on people. It’s why she loved her job so much. She managed a team of 18 people at an insurance company, where she interacted with and helped address her team members’ daily needs.
“My identity was through my job,” Brandy said. “That was my identity, just being there for people and making sure that their day-to-day work life was a happy one.”
But Brandy’s world was about to turn upside down. Brandy had a scheduled five-year colonoscopy, and her GI doctor recommended that they check her esophagus as well due to past symptoms. It turned out that the doctor’s hunch was unfortunately correct, and they found a mass. Brandy was diagnosed with cancer.
Thus started an aggressive treatment plan, first beginning with chemotherapy and then concurrent treatments along with radiation. Brandy initially continued to work, ensuring she was there for her people. But once radiation started in conjunction with the chemo, working was too much. The treatments took their toll. Brandy lost 40 pounds and was nearly put on a feeding tube. A month before the scheduled surgery, doctors found that despite the aggressive treatment, the cancer had spread to her lungs. Months later, the spread continued, this time to her adrenal glands. And with it, more months of treatments.
Brandy started on short-term disability insurance once she was forced to stop working, then moved to long-term disability once treatments were extended, seeing her income cut to 60% of her original salary. The cost of her cancer diagnosis started to add up.
“I never thought about cancer. I never thought about what it would cost. Now, every visit is a $40 co-pay. For instance, the other day at MGH, I had six appointments in one day because I’m going into a trial. So that’s $40 each. And so, at the end of the day, you’ve just spent $240 on co-pays. And then the scans, the CTs, the PETs, the blood work, all of it.”
And that job she loved so much ended up being a casualty of the diagnosis as well. Her company did all they could and held her position for nearly a year, but eventually informed her they would have to move on and fill her position.
“I’m a people manager. I’m not data-driven; I am a people person all the way. Thank God, I still talked to some of the people on my team, who keep in contact…It was crushing to me, because my identity was through my job.”
It illustrates how funds can become tight, and patients must make difficult choices.
During the time of her treatments, Brandy’s oldest son was about to become a father. Brandy and her wife wanted to plan a trip to see the new baby in Arizona, but it seemed impossible with all that was going on. They needed to ensure they had the money to pay rent, which had to come first.
And that’s where JAF stepped in.
Brandy’s a diehard Patriots fan, with a Patriots tattoo on her neck. She takes yearly trips to at least a day of training camp and attends at least one game a year. So, when her social worker, Angela, mentioned the Joe Andruzzi Foundation, Brandy knew the name instantly. Before long, JAF helped with a check for part of a rent payment. The couple was able to use some of the freed-up money to purchase two plane tickets to visit their new grandbaby.
It’s the hidden things that come from a cancer diagnosis that start to add up. It almost prevented Brandy from seeing her grandchild.
“The relief when they said that I got accepted [by JAF], the relief was huge. My plan when I can is to give back to the Foundation. Other people’s help has helped me tremendously. I’m so grateful that the Foundation exists.”
She has maintained a commendable, positive outlook despite all she has been through.
“If I’m positive and interacting with others and I feel like I’m making an impact on somebody, it’s making an impact more on me. So, it feeds me, it fuels me to see people smile and be happy.”
Postscript:
Sadly, Brandy Bobolas passed away in July 2025 after her courageous battle with cancer, shortly after we spoke with her. Her family permitted us to share her story with the Joe Andruzzi Foundation community so that her legacy of positivity, love, and resilience could continue to inspire others. We are deeply honored to remember Brandy and the impact she made on everyone around her.