Dear Friends and Family,

We hope this message finds you well. We wanted to take a moment to share an update on our father, Bill, and his ongoing health journey.

Since 2016, our dad has been courageously battling both colon cancer and leukemia, a journey that has been filled with its share of challenges and victories. Following his successful surgery to address the colon cancer, he faced the unexpected arrival of CLL, further complicating his fight against cancer. In 2020 the pandemic came around and he was exposed to COVID-19 to which due to his CLL, compromised his immune system sending him to the hospital for almost two weeks to battle the virus.

After COVID-19, his CLL became very active, needing extensive rounds of chemotherapy to push it into remission. After his final scan to confirm his CLL was indeed in remission, we discovered that his colon cancer from 2016 had returned, requiring additional rounds of chemotherapy. Now, he is preparing for targeted radiation therapy to combat the metastasis in his body.

Throughout it all, our dad has demonstrated incredible strength and determination. From enduring months of chemotherapy to overcoming setbacks like neutropenic fever and sepsis, he has faced each challenge head-on with unwavering positivity and Bill Ragsdale humor.

Currently, he is preparing for targeted radiation therapy, the next phase in his battle against this disease. Despite the difficult circumstances, his attitude remains remarkably upbeat, and his spirit undaunted. Unlike his chemotherapy treatments being locally here in Durango, his radiation is going to take place in Colorado Springs, CO which is at least a 5 hour drive and so far they have already made the trek 3 times now.

While he may not ask for assistance, we recognize the strain that medical expenses can impose as well as the travel for his treatments. So we humbly ask you for your support, continued prayers and well wishes.

Your continued prayers mean the world to all of us! We understand the importance of maintaining his privacy and dignity throughout this journey, and we appreciate your discretion in this matter. We kindly ask that you do not reach out to mom or dad or let him know about this mission until he is in the clear as we do not want to diminish his pride and keep his spirits high. If you'd like to contribute to well wishes and prayers, please place them in this platform and we will share them with dad when he needs words of encouragement on his journey.

We are hoping to surprise both mom and dad with all of your efforts to help alleviate most if not all of the medical expense burdens and show them all of the love and support from all of the communities that are in their lives.

Thank you for taking the time to read our update and for your continued support and encouragement. With loved ones like you standing beside us, we are confident that our dad will emerge victorious from this challenging chapter.

Cheers,

Kate, Joe & Hannah (all his favorite kids)