Hi friends & family, this GoFund me was started to help support Dave & Laura Menousek. For those who don’t know them well, since December of 2023, they have been courageously weathering the storm that came along with the sudden news of Dave’s stage-4 colon cancer diagnosis.

Since then, Dave has been enduring all kinds of battles, including but not limited to getting a life altering ostomy surgery, neuropathy in his hands and feet which have caused constant uncomfortable symptoms along with the loss of his ability to drive, 33 rounds of chemo with some rounds consisting of 10 different IV injections over 8 long hours, the discovery of cancer growth on nearly every subsequent CT scan, full body rashes caused by chemo treatments, a clinical trial, and in just the last 2 months, unbearable constant nausea, surgery to remove 2 brain tumors, as well as 2 blood transfusions.

I share all this to help those who haven’t been along for his journey thus far to understand what their life has been like. But it is even more so to acknowledge and recognize the strength, determination, and courage that Dave and Laura have shown in the face of this life changing news.

The latest update from Dave is:

"I've come to the extremely difficult decision to end chemo treatments moving forward. Our only remaining option was returning to a chemo that I've already tried and has harsh side effects. My Oncologist wasn't confident the treatment would decrease the cancer faster than it's been growing anyway. I fought this as aggressively as I could, it just didn't work out…

I am now transitioning to hospice to help prioritize quality of life. This transition will give us the flexibility to have more care given to me from home.”

Dave’s wife Laura has been the best support system and partner to Dave that anyone could possibly ever ask or hope for when riding through these rough waves. As family, we know, care for, and love these two individuals, and know that their love for each other is insurmountable. The life they have shared together for over 16 years has been one of adventure, trials, many feline friends, traveling (including bucket list trips to New Zealand & Australia within the last year), and lots and lots of love, laughter, and music.

We don’t know how much time we have left with Dave, but we know that we want it to be as good as we can make it for both him and Laura! This fund will help to alleviate some of the stress and pressure that has come with the many medical bills, Laura leaving her job over a year ago to spend time with Dave, as well as the future cost of his memorial. We ask for your support in these matters in hopes that Dave and Laura can maximally enjoy the time they have left with each other and we, as friends & family, can make as many memories as we can with our Dave.

On behalf of Dave, Laura, and their family, from the bottom of our hearts, thank you for all your love and support.