Former town resident Jason Connor survived two hurricanes this fall in St. Croix, Virgin Islands, where he now lives.

The first, Hurricane Irma, swept across the Caribbean island in the middle of September and then Hurricane Maria followed in October.

Connor, 36, is the grandson of Phyllis and Anthony Siro. His parents, Ava and Scott Hull, live in Alaska.

Connor attended local schools and works in construction and is a scuba diver. He and his wife, Kathleen, moved to the island in February for her employment as a dental hygienist.

They have been trying to recover from the natural disasters’ effects on his home. Electricity and Internet service have not been restored. Access to water is limited.

At the same time, Connor has been fighting a personal battle. He was diagnosed in August with Stage 4 cancer that developed from a mole on his chest.

He required further testing and an immediate operation but the hurricane damage made it impossible for them to leave.

When flights were possible, he and his wife flew to Orlando and rented a car for the trip to the University of Miami Hospital’s Cancer Center, his grandmother said.

He had two operations, one a mastectomy and the other to remove underarm ancillary lymph nodes.

During that time, they had the expense of a rental car, hotel stay, food and medicines. “Now they have the expense of the hospital and doctors and the ongoing treatment,” his grandmother said.

The couple has returned to St. Croix but had to take a leave of absence from work. Connor needs to return to Miami for medical appointments and perhaps immunotherapy.

His grandparents have started a donation drive at various area businesses to assist with living expenses and health care costs. They’ve also established a gofundme website with a $10,000 goal. The site is gofundme.com/joininhelpingJason.

Phyliss Siros can be reached at psiros500@gmail.com