GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — An Ionia County man is awaiting brain cancer surgery after insurance issues pushed it back over a week. Steve Barber's family is paying for some of the expenses on their own and on Wednesday his niece held a lemonade stand to help raise money. Gabriella Bautista is Barber's niece and said she just wants her fun-loving uncle to make a full recovery.
"He's just a huge family man. He would give you the shirt off his back," said Bautista.
She said around July 15 her uncle began having headaches and problems with his speech.
"He was at work on Monday, and he started like, slurring his words. I know someone from his work took him to the hospital, and they ended up doing some tests and found like a brain tumor," said Bautista.
When Barber went to the doctor they diagnosed him with a brain tumor which Bautista said is now the size of a peach.
"It's progressing fast. They're right now in Texas because they decided to go down there after being in Ann Arbor in hopes of getting the treatment faster. They've been having problems with their insurance that doesn't want to approve stuff, and now they are approved for August 9th," said Bautista.
After being told the brain cancer was incurable the Barbers went to MD Anderson in Houston to get life-saving surgery. However, dealing with insurances issues to get the surgery has been difficult-- that's why on Wednesday, Bautista created a lemonade stand to help raise money for her uncle.
"My kids like selling lemonade, eating candy and I figured we could do something fun for them and try to help them out as much as we can," said Bautista.
She said that every little bit from the community helps and that all she wants is for her uncle to make a full recovery.
"I'm just hoping that if miracles do exist, that it's something benign, and he just feels, I guess, some relief from having it gone. You never expect it to be happening to your loved one until it is, and then you're like, wow," said Bautista.
There is also a Venmo to donate to the family, @BarberStrong