Champion My Dad into Battle with Cancer

Heya, Kiki here. I’m reaching out for help while I take care of my dad, who is currently on Hospice Care.

Some of you may know me as the bubbly, sarcastic artist. I recently had to quit streaming on Twitch and actually rescinded my Affiliate status to take time off for my dad.

At the beginning of January I was made aware of his condition after a final visit of many to the Kaiser ICU. He had been declining in his health after a bout of Covid infection in May. The symptoms from the virus were minor, but he experienced lingering fatigue and a lack of appetite due to losing his sense of taste and smell.

Over a period of 7-8 months he lost roughly 30lbs and became bed ridden. Even after several ER and doctors visits, X-rays, and MRIs, they couldn’t tell him what the issue was. But he was emaciated and his muscles had severely atrophied. Finally around New Years Eve, during a final hospital visit, Kaiser ordered a Catscan for him, and he was diagnosed with Stage 3 Small Cell Lung Cancer, or SCLC. (My brother and I will be looking into speaking to a medical neglect/malpractice attorney soon.)

While SCLC is still treatable, even at this stage, it is not curable, and in my dad’s current condition, he is not strong enough to take treatments without it killing him.

My brother is currently taking care of him full time, but it is a lot. It’s more than a full time job, it requires round the clock care, and I currently live about 2 hours away, so it is very difficult for me to make enough money for bills and also be there to take care of my dad and make sure my brother is also resting.

It’s hard for me to ask for help, but I don’t have a lot of choices at the moment. I am currently waiting on EDD to get back to me about Paid Family Leave, but they are delayed and will only pay up to 70% of my income for an 8 week period. Caring for my dad will more than likely be an extended job, possibly reaching into the 4-5 month time frame, as we are hoping to give him a few more years with us.

My plan is to use this time I will be staying with my dad to build up my art business more, so I can try to support myself as all of this is happening, but I will need a bit of a boost to keep going until things are rolling with my Etsy and commissions.

Unfortunately, the world doesn’t stop when everything in your life changes drastically. I plan to use the money accumulated from this fundraiser to take care of my rent for my current apartment, keep my phone bill going, and pay for gas to travel between the apartment and the house, and of course any other upkeep I may need.

I also have been considering adopting a companion to help mediate my anxiety disorder for the long run, and travel with me. I have vetted a couple rescues with small dogs that exhibit the demeanor I am looking for in an ESA.

Anything helps. Even if you can only donate a couple dollars, or share this campaign, and as usual, I love you all and I so appreciate your time.

Please take care of yourselves and your loved ones. Please be an advocate for people in medical situations where they are not getting the care they need.

Thank you.