AUBURN - A little more than a year ago, Mike Kuczek was diagnosed with lung cancer, a situation that was promptly addressed with surgery to remove his right lung.

After surgery, Kuczek's doctor put him on a precautionary round of chemotherapy and currently Kuczek is doing well and his wife, Bev, said that the doctors believe they have removed all the cancer.

“I'm feeling good,” Kuczek said. “I could be better, but right now I feel pretty good.”

While Kuczek is feeling well, he is still facing medical difficulties. After receiving chemotherapy a fistula opened up in Kuczek's body.

“Basically it is an open wound,” Bev said. “He has been dealing with it for nine months.”

Kuczek's doctor in Syracuse recommended him to a surgeon in Boston for surgery, and after nine hours in surgery and a little more than a month in the hospital he came home and seemed to be doing fine when the fistula opened up again.

“After he was home seven days it opened up again,” Bev said. “So we went back to Boston and we were there about two weeks ago.”

Bev said her husband underwent a bronchoscopy which showed that the wound had begun to close a little bit, but Bev said that her husband still has a wound approximately 9 centimeters deep that requires a great deal of attention, but at least it has begun to move toward healing.

While it has been a slow healing process this has left Kuczek unable to go back to work.

Saturday afternoon at the Knights of Columbus in Auburn, friends and family gathered to lend their support to Kuczek and his wife and the medical expenses and travel costs they have for their time in Boston.

The afternoon fundraiser included a pasta dinner and numerous raffles.

Bev said that it was an effort that came together quickly through friends and especially family.

“This all started with our sister-in-laws and brother-in-laws,” Bev said. “They got it all going and one of Mike's best friends, Dan Davies, donated all the pasta and everybody has been really wonderful helping put this together.”

It was a fun and festive atmosphere at the Knights of Columbus, with Bev and Mike's family wearing T-shirts emblazoned with Kuczek's nickname, Bubba.

“That is what everybody calls him,” Bev said.

“One of the girls said we should be Bubba's angels and then we through well then the guys should be Bubba's devils.”

Kuczek said he was moved by the experience and was glad to welcome his family, with his sister traveling from Arizona to be here, which Bev said really lifted his spirits.

“This feels really good,” Kuczek said. “It's nice to have everybody around and have everybody here.”