In Port St. Lucie, St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Deputy Anatoli Schwartz is battling Stage 4 cancer, leaving his family hoping for a miracle this holiday season.”It’s the worst Christmas this year. I don’t want it,” Anna Schwartz said, expressing her sorrow over her husband’s absence during the holidays.Anatoli and Anna Schwartz have been married for 13 years, coinciding with his tenure at the St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office. The couple has two children, 5-year-old Martin and 3-year-old Milla.Anatoli, now a school resource officer, was diagnosed with colon cancer about a year ago. Although he was declared cancer-free in May, his good health didn’t last long.”The bad news came in July. The cancer is back and it’s stronger than before, and it’s stage 4,” Anatoli said from his hospital bed.The cancer has spread to his bones, causing a tumor near his ear that affects his facial muscles, requiring him to wear an eye patch. Anatoli is currently undergoing radiation treatments, and his future remains uncertain.In his words, all the life boxes he had checked are up in the air.”I put the timeline to all those boxes. And that timeline is not available to me anymore,” he said.Anna shared that she and the children made Christmas wishes, hoping for a miracle. “Martin says I want that my dad would be healthy,” she said, recalling a moment when they threw coins into a fountain.”I’m supposed to be providing for them. I’m supposed to be caring for them. And now I don’t know how I’m going to pull it off,” Anatoli said, expressing his concerns about his family’s future.A local organization, the Van Duzer Foundation, is organizing a fundraiser to support the Schwartz family. The event will take place on Jan. 24 at Big Apple Pizza in Fort Pierce.Stay up-to-date: The latest headlines and weather from WPBF 25Get the latest news updates with the WPBF 25 News app. You can download it here.

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. —

In Port St. Lucie, St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Deputy Anatoli Schwartz is battling Stage 4 cancer, leaving his family hoping for a miracle this holiday season.

“It’s the worst Christmas this year. I don’t want it,” Anna Schwartz said, expressing her sorrow over her husband’s absence during the holidays.

Anatoli and Anna Schwartz have been married for 13 years, coinciding with his tenure at the St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office.

The couple has two children, 5-year-old Martin and 3-year-old Milla.

Anatoli, now a school resource officer, was diagnosed with colon cancer about a year ago. Although he was declared cancer-free in May, his good health didn’t last long.

“The bad news came in July. The cancer is back and it’s stronger than before, and it’s stage 4,” Anatoli said from his hospital bed.

The cancer has spread to his bones, causing a tumor near his ear that affects his facial muscles, requiring him to wear an eye patch. Anatoli is currently undergoing radiation treatments, and his future remains uncertain.

In his words, all the life boxes he had checked are up in the air.

“I put the timeline to all those boxes. And that timeline is not available to me anymore,” he said.

Anna shared that she and the children made Christmas wishes, hoping for a miracle.

“Martin says I want that my dad would be healthy,” she said, recalling a moment when they threw coins into a fountain.

“I’m supposed to be providing for them. I’m supposed to be caring for them. And now I don’t know how I’m going to pull it off,” Anatoli said, expressing his concerns about his family’s future.

A local organization, the Van Duzer Foundation, is organizing a fundraiser to support the Schwartz family. The event will take place on Jan. 24 at Big Apple Pizza in Fort Pierce.

Stay up-to-date: The latest headlines and weather from WPBF 25

Get the latest news updates with the WPBF 25 News app. You can download it here.