Six years ago, Edward “Edgie” Manzo was not prepared for the life-altering results of his routine blood test.
With no symptoms to show for it, the Mullica Hill resident and father of four was diagnosed with Stage 4 Metastatic Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer.
“It was shocking. We never expected it. He seemed fine to everyone. He seemed healthy,” son Anthony Manzo said. “For it to be stage 4 out of nowhere like that, it was scary.”
Given one year to live, Edgie’s diagnosis was absolutely devastating to the close-knit Manzo family. He and his wife, Donna, are parents to 25-year-old Edgie IV; 21-year-old twins Anthony and Matthew; and 17-year-old Brielle, currently a senior at Clearview Regional High School.
Fortunately — and with unwavering support from family, friends and the Mullica Hill community — Manzo defied the odds.
After gathering opinions from several experts in the field, he settled on treatment at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York City. At first, radiation and chemotherapy did the trick, lowering Manzo’s Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA) levels and keeping them low for months. After about half a year, weekly checkups revealed the PSA levels were on the rise, indicative of the cancer’s growth.
“At the time they had this trial medicine. When he went on that, it actually worked for a really long time, probably three years, maybe four,” Matthew Manzo said. “We’re really lucky to have had that work for so long.”
Eventually, the medicine stopped working, too.
“The cancer figured out how to go around it. He went back on chemo. That worked for a while,” Matthew said. “And now we’re here, to where it’s growing erratically.”
Looking for a new avenue to attack his cancer, Edgie Manzo’s doctor alerted him to a new treatment receiving overwhelmingly positive results. The catch? It’s only approved in Germany. Since Manzo’ health insurance isn’t accepted in Europe, the $50,000 price tag needs to be paid outright. Add travel and other miscellaneous expenses, and the Manzo family was facing another significant financial need — this after Edgie had to leave his full-time job earlier in his cancer fight.
The family’s #KickCancerOverTheEdge GoFundMe campaign is near the halfway mark of its $50,000 fundraising goal. The support is indicative of Manzo’s positive influence not just in the Mullica Hill and Clearview communities, but beyond. Originally from South Philly, Manzo and his wife grew up in Washington Township, living down the street from one another and both graduating from Washington Township High School.
“Everyone loves his presence,” Matthew said. “He’s just such a great guy. He’s really smart. He’s always been really, really friendly … There’s so many people he’s made friends with that want to help us.
“We want to keep him around.”
Since Manzo could receive his treatment in the coming weeks, everyone is trying to keep the fundraising growing. To that end, the twins — self-proclaimed gamers — will host a 24-hour live stream fundraiser from 12 a.m. to midnight on Sunday, March 15.
The idea, pitched by their older brother’s friend, Sal Dragone, is to garner attention and, ultimately, donations during a live stream of Anthony and Matthew playing video games. Hosted on online platforms such as Twitch, live stream fundraisers can draw thousands in donations for established influencers — or individuals who have built a significant online following.
The Manzo twins don’t have that virtual support, but knowing their live stream could even pull in $500 or $1,000 was enough to get them on board.
“To us, we thought there’s no point in not trying,” Anthony said.
“We’ve always been into video games. We’ve played our whole lives,” Matthew added.
During the live stream — viewers can log on to watch at twitch.tv/kcotedge — Anthony and Matthew will be on screen playing multiple games, including Call of Duty, Fortnite and others, while some friends take part off screen. Dragone plans to create some additional entertainment elements for viewers, such as special effects, and Anthony and Matthew plan incentives when fundraising reaches certain benchmarks or a particular amount is donated. There will be a link through the live stream for donations, most likely through PayPal.
“To me, it’s kind of just a fun thing. If people want to join and donate, I’m going to appreciate it,” Anthony said. “I just want to have fun with it and hopefully gain some money.”
“Anything helps,” Matthew agreed.
The brothers are confident fundraising will ultimately reach the goal for their dad.
“We’ve raised a lot of money so far and I think we’re going to make it,” Anthony said. “We’re really appreciative. We’re so thankful.”
To donate to the #KickCancerOverTheEdge GoFundMe, visit http://gf.me/u/xmmq4p. To support the 24 hour live stream fundraiser, visit www.twitch.tv/kcotedge. The fundraiser runs 12 a.m. to midnight on Sunday, March 15. For more information, email matthewmanzo13@gmail.com.
