A Wish For Randy

I have worked at Longhorn for 4 years, and I've had the pleasure of working with my manager, Randy for over 3 of them. Randy is a wonderful, compassionate, kind, respectful, and hysterical man. He's a husband, father, granfather, brother, uncle, an inspiration, and a friend of so many. The picture I chose here, is "Poppy playing dressup". On Dec. 24, 2013 Randy was rushed via ambulance to the hospital for complications from COPD and emphysema. Several days later he was put on a ventilator to keep him alive. He was recovering, with oxygen and meds, never expected to return to work, though, that was his goal. We were all looking forward to him coming back. A few weeks later, he had pain in his side, he was taken to the ER and they found a mass on his liver. Since then, he has been diagnosed with Hemochromatosis. It is a hereditary blood disease that causes tumors to form on specific organs (liver, bile duct, pancreas, and heart). This is brought on by excess iron in the blood and it creates these tumors that lead to cancer. That has caused the cholangiocarcinoma on his bile duct/liver. He and his family have been told at this point that it is inoperable. After doing research, they found that hemochromatosis in the later stages of being undiagnosed like he was, also causes problems in the joints and makes it difficult to breathe. The truly amazing part of his story is his spirit. He and his family are preparing for the worst, but hoping for the best. He was given a year to live, but he says he feels good, and he's optomistic. Fortunately, he is going to see a new doctor in Pittsburgh this week. Hopefully, they can give him more answers than he has gotten so far. As for medical expenses, because Randy is retired military, he has their insurance. It does not cover everything. He has hit the catastrophic cap, and they will pay 100% of a bill as long as they are contracted with that company. Sadly, most Radiology, hematology and ambulance rides (there have been several, some for a few hours) are NOT contracted with Tricare, his insurance. They pay some on those bills, but not nearly enough. Right now, they are not paying medical bills, as he has had his pay cut by 40% by being on long term disability, so what ever "extra" they have, is paying for gas and travel expenses to and from hospitals. Through talking to his wife, Wendy, I have found out a few things that Randy would really love to do. He wants to go to Niagara Falls, the Grand Canyon, and drive a 68 or 69 Camaro, or a brand new one. He doesn't want to own one, just to drive one for a few minutes. He's looking forward to spending time with his family, golfing with his boys this summer, and possibly going to another Steelers game. Myself, and all of his coworkers would love nothing more than to make some of these things possible for him. We have been working very hard to contribute in any way we can, but we still need more help. I understand that budgets are tight for everyone. That being said, there is no minimum amoiunt to help. ANY amount would be appreciated. Please know that every donation will go directly to Randy and his family. Please share this page with any friends and family you know, that would like to donate to an amazing family. And please say a little prayer for our friend. Thanks so much in advance!