A Farmington man battles cancer with his family and Bills Mafia behind him

FARMINGTON, NY – It’s been a seven-year struggle for John Santmyer. He was diagnosed with stage 4 melanoma in 2017 and while he was fighting, his favorite team helped him get through it.

What started as a fatty cyst removal for Santmyer turned into a cancer diagnosis. He discovered he had tumors in his brain and body. It has been years of treatments and surgeries that will never cure his disease – seven years of immunotherapy, radiation, multiple craniotomies, chemotherapy, seizures and hospital visits.

He says his journey has been one with many scary ups and downs. A few months ago he could barely speak, walk or move his body. He is doing better now, but still has difficulty communicating and has frequent seizures, leaving him unemployed. He says he’s a fighter and he does it for his wife and two kids – and to support his favorite team.

“So they say it’s a year to 15 months of survival, but that’s not what I should be focusing on. I’m going, I’m going to see my kids graduate and, you know, hopefully the Bills can win the Super Bowl, you know, but I don’t feel like I have a survival time,” Santmyer said. .

His wife Erica says the diagnosis was completely unexpected.

“It’s not that he started with a little bit of cancer and that spread – it was that he didn’t have cancer. And then suddenly one day,” she said.

Right now he’s in a good place, but that’s not always the case. There are times when he cannot speak and can only nod his head to communicate.

His wife works two jobs to support their two children and his treatment. To alleviate some of the financial pressure, his friends started a GoFundMe campaign.

But they did something different: They contacted a company called 26 Shirts, which sells limited-edition Bills merchandise with proceeds going to a specific campaign. Santmyer’s shirt is called Buffalo Vs. the world and captures his struggle and passion for the team in one.

He says it is an honor to be chosen for this.

“It’s been tough, but I’m tough and I – like I said, I don’t feel like I’m up on my timeline, and it’s just great. It’s amazing and a blessing,” he said.

His love for the Bills began in 1984 when he attended his first game and fell asleep under the stands. It has been part of his life ever since.

“I chose the sport: it’s the Buffalo Bills; I just live and die on Sundays, you know,” Santmyer said.

The Buffalo Vs. the world is live for two weeks and you can buy one here to help John himself.

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