Hello friends and family, I hoped I would never be writing this… but our dad, Carl Joseph Dean Mercer, is nearing the end of his battle with cancer. With the sudden progression these past few days, we could have never prepared for how soon we would have to say goodbye. My brother and I are hoping to raise as much money as soon as possible to cover some kind of service, cremation, and hardship expenses. As we are only 23 and 21 years old, this is the hardest goodbye we will ever have to make, and we appreciate any assistance during this time.

If you don’t know, our dad, Carl Joseph Dean Mercer, was originally diagnosed with colorectal cancer back in 2015-2016. He spent months in the hospital going through surgeries, feeding tubes, stuck in a hospital bed, and wheelchair-bound. The doctors gave him less than a year and told him he wouldn’t walk again… against all odds… our dad walked out of that hospital and went on to beat cancer. This would not be the first time. When the cancer moved to his lungs years later, he did chemo again, radiation, even suffered broken ribs from the latter, and went into remission again. He fought long and hard, raising two kids and still continuing to work a full-time job to provide for us… continuing to go to check-ups and when it came back, continuing to fight it with any treatment possible.

It was only a few months before this year started that my dad totally stopped working. In February of this year, we were told the cancer had spread to his bones and brain. Our dad still chose to fight… I became his full-time caregiver and we moved in together while he went through radiation and chemotherapy yet again, slowly losing his ability to walk but shrinking the cancer. Unfortunately, the brain tumor started to continue growing, and when he left the hospital on December 5th, we had hope steroids and a new experimental chemo would have more effect… unfortunately, the cancer mutated, and the chemotherapy that had been so good to him has ceased to affect it, and it continued to grow as his condition rapidly became worse this week.

Carl Joseph Dean Mercer is the strongest person most of us will ever know. His willpower and strength is a medical marvel. His love for his family, friends, and animals has kept him going through the darkest of times, and he fought this off as long as he could. At 43 years old, my dad has accomplished and seen things most people will never in a lifetime. Although time’s a thief, he has lived a very full and happy life.

As a child, my dad loved baseball and sports and went on to pass that on to us as kids. In his teen and early adult years, my dad gravitated towards music, becoming a rapper and forming a group with his friends, eventually becoming a solo act while raising us kids until he began working two jobs to provide for us with little time to continue to explore his passion, although we were told he’d want it no other way. My dad did get to revisit his dream with my brother Blake by his side. Blake opened up his own studio temporarily, where our dad was able to record again and went on to perform for a final time at a venue in Washington. My dad is a man who had a way with words and a way about him that made people gravitate towards him, maintaining many relationships throughout the years and always bringing people together. Carl is a very generous and caring man, he is loved by many and will be deeply missed. He has told us even after everything he did in his life; my brother and I were his biggest accomplishments, and we cannot be more proud of our dad for the life he has lived.

Carl Joseph Dean Mercer will be survived by his Mom- Carlene Mercer, Dad- Larry Mercer, Brother- Joseph Dean Mercer, Nephew- Joseph (Joey) Mercer, Daughter- McKenna Lyn Mercer, Son- Blake Joseph Dean Mercer, and Grandkids- Bentley Blake Mercer and Benjamin Carl Mercer. Any donations made will help our family out immensely, and my gratitude goes out to you all. Thank you.