Donations Sought for Young Husband Battling Cancer

Sean Fritts and his wife Corissa are just like any other newlywed couple. They have dreams of a long and happy life together, filled with joy, not pain and discomfort.

Fritts, 30, was has been battling against stage three Hodgkin’s Lymphoma since he was 27.

“I refuse to bow down to do,” Fritts said. “I don’t want to be a statistic. I said to myself ‘I don’t want to die at 27 so let’s do what we have to do to beat this thing’.”

Fritts and his wife have known each other since they attended A.P. Terhune Elementary School. He graduated from Wayne Hills in 2001, his wife a year before him.

“It’s been tough mentally, no doubt about it,” Fritts said. “What keeps me fighting is my wife and my family.”

Fritts was first diagnosed in March 2010 while he and Corissa were dating.

“I never, ever run would have run away from this. It has brought us closer,” Corissa said. “We’ve only been together for a couple of years and not once did I ever turn my back on him.”

Frits underwent chemotherapy treatments but they didn’t work the way Fritts thought they would. He had to have his lungs drained and went blind for four months. 

Leigh McMichael, a friend of the couple and high school classmate of Corissa's, said the love Corissa has shown for her husband has been nothing short of incredible.

“The whole time they were dating Corissa knew he was sick and she stuck by him,” said McMichael. “Most people would have run away from something like that but she didn’t. She embraced it.”

Fitts then tried using some of his own stem cells to stimulate his immune system. When that didn’t work he received stem cells from a donor. The treatment was successful.

Fritts was doing well. He started enjoying life again. But right in the middle of planning his wedding, the cancer came back. Fritts and Corissa were married Oct. 19. Instead of going on his honeymoon, he went in for more treatment Oct. 21.

McMichael started a donations website last week to help the family pay for some mounting medical bills. More than $6,500 has been donated so far.

“They are two of the most selfless people you’ll ever meet in your entire life,” McMichael said. “It’s more than anyone could handle and the medical bills are starting to pile up. It would be a Christmas miracle for them to get help.”

— Have a question or news tip? Contact editor Daniel Hubbard at Daniel.Hubbard@patch.com or find us on Facebook and Twitter. For news straight to your inbox, sign up for our daily newsletter.