Hi, my name is Ashley, and I’m reaching out during one of the hardest moments our family has ever faced.
My dad, Ken, is one of the most selfless people you’ll ever meet. He’s the kind of person who shows up for everyone- family, friends, anyone who needs help and never asks for anything in return. Right now, he’s the one who needs us.
What started a couple of weeks ago as something concerning (blood in his urine) quickly turned into something much more serious. Imaging revealed multiple masses, and doctors began urgent testing to get answers, including a biopsy of his lung.
During that biopsy, everything changed. Because of how vascular the area was, he experienced a severe bleed in his right lung that wouldn’t stop, leading to respiratory failure. He had to be intubated, placed on a ventilator, and airlifted to UW for higher-level critical care.
Since then, he has gone through multiple procedures just to stabilize him, including isolating his lung to protect his airway and a specialized procedure to stop the bleeding by blocking the blood vessel feeding it.
Right now, he is in the ICU, heavily sedated, and on full support while his body fights to heal.
We are incredibly grateful that he is stable at this moment, but this is far from over. He has a long road ahead- recovering from this critical event, coming off the ventilator, and continuing testing and treatment for what doctors believe is advanced kidney cancer that has spread to his lungs and lymph nodes.
Our focus right now is simple. We just want our dad to be okay. But as we stay by his side, the financial stress is quickly building. Between ICU care, ongoing procedures, travel, hotel stays, gas, and time away from work, the burden is overwhelming. We want our mom to be able to focus on being there for him without constantly worrying about how everything will be paid for. Anyone who knows my dad knows he would never ask for this. In fact, he would probably tell us not to. But we also know how much he has done for others, and now it’s our turn to show up for him.
If you’re able to donate, share this, or simply keep our family in your thoughts and prayers, it truly means more than we can express. We will continue to post updates as he fights through this. Thank you for your love, support, and kindness during this incredibly difficult time.