Robert Bruce thought he was getting a cold.
The lymph nodes in his neck were swollen, so he went to the doctor.
“A routine doctor’s appointment turned into all this,” he said.
What followed was three days, four different offices and a diagnosis almost nobody expects at 18. In February, Bruce was told he had Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
Last week, at a small ceremony at its headquarters, the committee behind the Little Brown Jug Invitational handed Bruce a check for $6,200, the largest donation the organization has made in its history.
It’s the most the committee has ever been able to give, and part of the reason is a change made over the past year: the group became a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit, which opened the door to donations it wasn’t able to accept before.
The 58th annual Little Brown Jug Invitational was played Saturday, June 13, at White Birch Golf Course, under the banner “Fighting for Robert Bruce.”
Bruce’s mother, Brenda, said the family went to four different places in three days as doctors worked to figure out what was wrong. Cancer, she said, was never really raised as a possibility at first.
Then it was the answer.
“Shocking,” Bruce said. “I had no words. I guess nobody really expects it.”
A year ago, Bruce was the kind of student who did everything. He played baseball, football, golf and ran track and field at Minersville Area High School, graduating in 2025. He was a member of the National Honor Society, the Aevidum Club, and the YES program. He enrolled at Penn State-Schuylkill to pursue a degree in civil engineering.
“He was always on the go,” Brenda said.
That stopped almost overnight.
“I had to do online schooling and watch my health and not go out as much,” Bruce said. “It’s a big thing to adapt to. It was definitely a change from being up and going all the time.”
He has worked to keep the diagnosis from taking more than it has to.
“I’m trying to stay positive. I’m trying not to let it affect me,” he said. “I have my off days and my good days but for the most part, I’ve been trying not to let it bring me down or affect me.”
Bruce is nearing the end of the hardest part.
“I’m doing good now,” he said. “The final stretch. It’s going well.”
If things keep going the way he hopes, he plans to be back at school next year, moving on to Penn State-Harrisburg to continue toward his civil engineering degree.
“Hopefully get back to my regular life,” he said. “It makes you look at it a lot differently. Anything could happen. That’s definitely what it did to me.”
The bills started arriving before anyone had time to plan for them.
Bruce hasn’t been able to work. The appointments have stacked up, including a few important ones coming up that will force the family to stay overnight.
“We have a lot of appointments coming up that we’ll probably have to stay up in Danville,” Brenda said.
The $6,200 goes toward all of it: the medical bills that keep coming, the travel, and the ordinary costs of a household that didn’t get a warning. Bruce said the money helps his family absorb expenses that arrived suddenly, and that he’s grateful for the way the community came together for him.
Every year, the Little Brown Jug committee picks someone from the Minersville or Pottsville area who needs help, and raises money for that person.
This year, the name came from Ray Sukeena.
Sukeena, Minersville’s golf coach, had coached Bruce in Little League and minor league baseball and knew him from school. He learned what Bruce was facing the day before the committee met to decide who this year’s tournament would benefit.
He brought the name to the meeting. The committee agreed.
The record-breaking fundraising total came from numerous donations by small businesses, fire companies, American Legion posts and individuals around the area.
The largest came from Coal Region Consulting. Company president Gino Yourey knows the Bruce family.
Good Intent Hose Co. of Minersville was among the top contributors, as were Entech Engineering, EMH Contracting, Hidden River Credit Union and the law firm of Williamson, Friedberg & Jones. Five American Legion organizations gave, including Post 286, its Legion Riders and its auxiliary unit, and the Cressona Legion Home Association. Garages, cafes, insurance agencies, contractors, and neighbors filled out the rest, along with sponsorships that came in through the committee’s Venmo account.
More From Coal Region Canary
See all stories ›
Flood Watch Issued for Schuylkill County on Thursday
5 hours ago
Nabholz Has Allowed Just 1 Earned Run in 5 Appearances Since Promotion to Eugene
12 hours ago
Schuylkill County Man Used Brother’s Name During Traffic Stop Because He’d Been Sentenced to Jail for Driving on a Suspended License
13 hours ago
Barton Cards Sub-70 Round to Pace Haven; Blue Mountain Sweeps Tri-Match
15 hours ago
PennDOT to Host Winter Job Fair in Schuylkill County
17 hours ago
Schuylkill County Man Wanted After Police Say He Traded Nude Photos With 16-Year-Old
18 hours agoSubscribe to Coal Region Canary
Get email updates from Coal Region Canary by becoming a subscriber today. Just enter your email address below to get started!Support Coal Region Canary
Like our reporting and want to support truly local news in Schuylkill County? Your small donations help. For as little as $5, your contribution will allow us to cover more news that directly affects you. Consider donating today by hitting the big yellow button below ...