Brad's Brave Battle - No One Fights Alone

Brad Campbell goes by many titles, his favorites are father, husband, coach, friend, boss, leader, and goofball.  Unfortunately he got a new title, cancer survivor.   On Friday August 14th Brad was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and his journey begins.  The next few weeks will involve travel to various doctors, surgery for a port, and the beginning of chemotherapy.

Brad and Jess are self-employed entrepreneurs, community volunteers, and parents.   Brad has never been one to wait for someone else to get the job done, he will do it himself without hesitation and without asking someone else to do it first.  From stepping up to coaching hockey and baseball, to serving on the AYHA Board, to donations to help improve many things for youth, to doing the dishes at our shack, even picking up my bear throwing it over his shoulder and carrying out to the ATV to get out of the woods in the dark.  He was helping coach Learn to Skate before having kids himself cause someone needed to do it.   Brad put himself through college, worked hard to build his business, and truly leads by example, having earned everything he has.  Now its our turn to thank him and pay him back for all he has done.  

Brad's a natural coach and leader.  He has the strength to fight this battle, but no one fights alone.  Being the business owner, he will have the stress of figuring out how to manage his businesses (his source of income and whom his employees also rely on), deal with chemo treatments (and their side effects), manage medical bills, travel expenses, who knows what else.  His team (all of us) can take some of that stress off him and his family by helping take on some of that burden through financial help.  As a caregiver myself, I know how the help helps not just in dealing with costs of things, but in keeping spirit ups.  If you can't give here, I am sure a letter (snail mail is nice) just to give him a smile also goes a long way. 

In writing this, I wish I could come up with more inspirational words, words like Brad could whether he was firing up our hockey as team captain, firing up our kids as coach, or firing us up to celebrate Jess's college graduation by professing his love for Ashland and accidentally punching a hole through his buddy's ceiling (its a story you will have to ask him about).  Let's show him some love back and help him punch out this cancer, help ease the stress, and help him and his family know there is not just a team behind them, but an army of love and support.