Be a Light in Micheal's Life
Donation protected
My name is Micah and I’m asking you to support my dad, Micheal.
Over the last few weeks, we’ve found out that my dad has stage 4 colon cancer and will be on chemo for at least the next 6 months.
My dad hasn’t been able to work in years, and my mom is the sole income in their household. We are currently awaiting a ruling on my dad’s disability case, but in the meantime, on top of the normal expenses, medical bills are already coming in. Please consider helping my folks.
The Full Story
My dad, Micheal, is no stranger to health complications. Micheal has suffered from chronic neuropathy for over 10 years and continued the position he enjoyed at Amsoil despite severe flare ups. And of course, 2020 was hard on everyone. For our family specifically, that hardship showed up as severe anxiety and agoraphobia in my dad. Micheal was unable to continue his employment, and we are currently waiting on the results of a disability filing.
Losing his job was scary, but realizing that suddenly I was making runs to the hardware store because my dad couldn’t was terrifying. Micheal’s always been dependable, whether its showing up to school band or choir concerts, court dates for my cousin’s adoptions, or meeting up with someone to change their tire. Suddenly, everything switched and he was depending on us. It was like the floor fell out beneath us.
But there were still moments of light (sorry, dad, couldn’t resist the pun). During this time, Micheal ramped up his Christmas (and Halloween) light show, spending the off season planning and programming lights to seasonal music. Suddenly all his birthday and Christmas gifts revolved around lights and lawn decorations. His favorite time of year is the Fall into New Year's when he can see visitors come to enjoy his hard work, some families coming nightly with packed cars or children in strollers, even the occasional limo or bus!
When my sister and I were younger, my parents would drag us all over Duluth to see the most elaborate light displays in the city, and suddenly we were well on our way to becoming one. Micheal loves orchestrating these displays, and we all thought they were pretty impressive, but the best part is seeing my dad be who we know him to be. It was work, but it was never a chore to head over to my folk’s place to help lift the mega tree or carry giant snowflakes onto the roof, because that was when I got my dad back again.
I had been bugging Micheal a lot this year, asking when I could come get the snowflakes off the roof, but when we weren’t being rained out, he’d tell me he just wasn’t up to it. He was having a bad day, and I assumed it was just neuropathy or maybe just his fickle stomach. It sucked, but it was pretty normal and I never suspected it could be anything worse.
3 weeks ago, he went to the hospital for some tests and we found the reason he’d been feeling bad for the last few months. Micheal has stage 4 colon cancer and has already begun what will be at least 6 months of chemotherapy.
So we need help. Right now, the biggest concern is income, especially while the disability case is in limbo. While Micheal has been unable to work, Kathy, his wife/my mom, has turned her textile art hobby into an extra income stream as well as picked up OT projects at work when she can. But we don’t expect that she’ll be able to continue doing that for the time being, as her focus is entirely on Micheal right now. This go-fund-me will help with missed income until disability is awarded, medical expenses that are already coming in, additional diet and nutritional purchases while Micheal's on a liquid diet, and with necessary maintenance projects that Micheal is currently unable to take care of.
Thank you very much for taking the time to read this.
Organizer and beneficiary
Micah Wilson
Organizer
Duluth, MN
Kathleen Wilson
Beneficiary