Rob Tallis grew up in Georgia and was raised by a Christian family.  After graduating high school, he enlisted in the Army and later joined the Georgia National Guard.  He served in the National Guard while attending college at Kennesaw State University.  During this time, he met and married the love of his life, Jennifer.  In April of 2000, just weeks before the birth of their son Will, Rob was diagnosed with stage 4 Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma.  After 8 months of aggressive chemo and spinal infusions, Rob was declared to be in remission.  The new family put the cancer behind them and moved on with their lives. Due to the effects of the aggressive chemo, conceiving another child become difficult.  Rob and Jennifer pursued adoption and were blessed with the adoption of their daughter Emma in 2004.

In 2008, a lump was discovered on the back of Rob’s neck. A scan and biopsy revealed that the cancer had returned.  Rob completed a second round of chemotherapy and was declared to be in remission after a year and a half of treatment.  The family put the cancer behind them once again and continued with the business of raising a family. Rob and Jen became active volunteers in all of the kid’s activities.  Will started Boy Scouts at the age of 6.  After years of hard work, he earned his Eagle Scout rank this past February.  Will also played football during middle school and was a three year letterman for the North Cobb High School football team. He will attend college in the fall. Emma started swimming at the young age of 4 and has never stopped. Today she swims for both the YMCA and her neighborhood team. She plans to swim for North Cobb High School next school year when she attends as a freshmen.  Rob has worked in the pest control industry for the past 20 years and Jen is a 2nd grade teacher for the Cobb County School System. 

In January of 2018, Rob and his family’s world was once again turned upside down when a persistent back pain revealed his cancer had come back a third time. After several meetings with oncologists, it was determined that past treatment options would not provide optimal long term results.  More intensive treatments would be necessary, including a bone marrow transplant.  After completing aggressive chemotherapy, Rob will go to Nashville for a bone marrow transplant, where he will stay for 4-6 weeks. After returning home, Rob will need to stay in isolation for 3-6 months, due to a compromised immune system. 

Unfortunately, the effects of the chemo and transplant will prevent Rob from being able to work for 6-8 months.  Even with disability, Rob will be losing 2/3 of his income due to the nature of his pay scale. This will put a heavy strain of the family’s finances. With medical bills piling up and the cost of the transplant and travel expenses rapidly accruing, Rob and Jen have quickly depleted the family’s emergency fund.  Rob and Jen put their trust and faith in God to provide a path for them financially.  Through His grace and the love of others, the family has been able to keep up with the financial demands of life so far, but understand that the longest road is still ahead. Rob and his family are grateful for the prayers and support they continue to receive from the community.   Rob is honored to be chosen as the recipient of the H.O.G dinner in June.  Thank you for coming out to support not only Rob, but his entire family.