A life, if lived well, is long enough

Hi, my name is Montana (Balino) and I'm Blake's cousin. I'm no professional writer or poet but I hope I can convey the reason for this gofundme that inspires you to be part of a life well lived.

Blake has been diagnosed with stage 3 Astrocytoma with glial cells on January 1st, 2023. He recently finished 6 extensive weeks of chemo and radiation. His treatments started on March 16th and his most recent appointment was on April 14th, for his MRI. On April 17th, Blake will see the oncologist and his neurosurgeon on April 24th to determine the next course of treatment.

Beekren (Blake) finished his treatments the day before a destination wedding for his brother Travis, which almost all of the cousins were present for. Life is funny sometimes...this trip was planned over a year ago before any diagnosis or even symptoms were present.

Life is also precious and unexpected. It's crazy to think about how many of us would live our lives differently if we had just one moment of impact. During our St. John trip, us cousins were reminiscing on many of our childhood memories. Some memories felt so small and insignificant at the time we created them but it's what brought back joy, love, and hope to such a dark diagnosis.

A life, if lived well, is long enough. This can mean different things to different people. It might mean traveling, trying exotic foods, renting a dream car for a joy ride, a hike through a national park, spending time with family/friends around a fire, or even brewing your own beer. Unfortunately, we don't have a timeline for the end of our lives but what a blessing it would be to not have the burden of finances hold us back from living.

With this fundraiser, we hope to offer new life experiences for Blake that aren't tainted by his cancer diagnosis. Life is for enjoyment and I hope we can help him make it exactly that.

With love,

Montana & Family