Helping Brothers Dealt a Bad Hand

We certainly have a right to be skeptical of platforms like GoFundMe in which people raise money for various reasons from paying medical bills to recovering from losing their home in a fire.

Unfortunately there’s been a few that received attention for not being on the “up and up.” That is clearly not the case with the Giesler Brothers Relief Fund which deserves at the very least your attention.

Patrick and Tyler Giesler are 18 & 19 year old brothers and their story is one that is hard to believe.  Their father died when they were very young and shortly after that they were abandoned by their biological mother. Fortunately they had a grandmother, Theresa Burke who took on the role of “Mom” and a great grandmother, Filomena Irons who raised them in a family home in Brick.

That home was near the Mantoloking Bridge and was basically destroyed during Superstorm Sandy more than six years ago.  All their belongings and important documents were lost and with no means to rebuild the family was homeless.

They would settle for a rental home in the Lake Riviera section of Brick and got by with the Social Security the two women received.  However after their great grandmother passed away they were evicted from the rental and for the past five years have bounced around in rentals and hotels, even living in a mini-van at times.

Somehow with the help of those at Brick Township High School and the local community Pat and Tyler were able to remain in school and each played three varsity sports while holding down fulltime jobs to help their “Mom.”  They were committed to those sports and never missed practice, training or games during their four years in high school and were praised for their hard work and dedication.

After graduating last June they were living in a motel in Point Pleasant while attending Ocean County College and working full time at Wendy’s in Brick.  However after a brief battle with cancer they lost the only mother they really knew and now are on their own living in a motel and behind on their rent.

Trying to juggle school and work would be challenging enough but these teenagers continue to be dealt a bad hand.

This hard-to-believe story comes courtesy of Brick football coach Len Zdanowicz who along with Scott Lloyd has set up the GoFundMe drive that has already raised $26,000. If you would like to help visit .gofundme.com/giesler-brothers-relief-fund