Billiets don’t like asking for help.

But my dad is in the hospital and the last thing I want my mom to worry about is finances.

He’s going to be mad that I’m sharing this (sorry dad) but earlier this week Chuck was taken to the ER in Sonora. There, they discovered a mass on his brain and immediately transferred him to Doctor’s hospital in Modesto and, late Tuesday, he was transferred to UCSF where he’s now hanging out until he has to have brain surgery to have the mass removed.

The mass is a fast-growing tumor and they are pretty sure it’s cancerous. It’s about 5cm big and pushing on the right side of his brain, so it affects his motor functions. In a weird way, we are relieved because it is expected that he will gain his strength back once it is removed. Prior to this, he has been feeling weak and tired and confused lately along with other symptoms that we were afraid were just part of dad getting old. Everyone knows how active he is and how when he’s in pain and can’t do things he loves to do like go-karting and golfing, he’s really bummed out.

We met with the surgeon on Wednesday who said they will be doing a sleep motor mapping craniotomy which is going in and scooping the tumor and testing motor functions as they go. The medical team seems confident which is leaving us all optimistic, plus UCSF is the best place he can be.

The reason I am creating this GoFundMe is because the last thing I want my family - especially my mom - to deal with is worrying about whether or not we can afford to be close to my dad. In a way I feel selfish asking for help but Chuck’s surgery likely isn’t until the middle of next week (approx Oct 4th). After surgery, he will have to stay here at UCSF a bit longer but the good news is chemo/radiation and possibly rehab can be closer to home. I am guessing we will be down here in the bay maybe another 2 weeks?

Hotels in San Francisco are expensive, and it is about a 3 hour drive (one-way) from their home in Angels Camp depending on traffic. My mom does not drive on the freeway or at night and I also struggle driving at night, so navigating when and who will be with dad keeping him company along with avoiding Bay Area traffic is proving to be incredibly stressful for us. I am hoping we can book an Airbnb here so we along with Rod and Jeff, my step-brothers, can stay down here when needed. They have been with dad every day since he was first admitted to Doctors and they also live about three hours from SF. Currently we are at a South San Fran hotel looking at paying a few hundred a night, driving to the hospital, and then parking at the hospital is approximately $30 a day. I don’t know what a realistic number is to ask for but at this point anything helps and is one more thing I can handle for us and my mom won’t have to worry about.

And then there’s Rosie… my dad’s best friend and companion dog She’s staying at my house currently with my friends rotating watch but it is not a long-term solution while I have to be in SF. If we all need to be here there’s a chance she may need to go to boarding “day camp” for a few days or a week, or I will need to drive back and forth from SF to check on her.

I never thought we would be in this position and dealing with a brain tumor. We are all staying optimistic and hopeful, and my family really appreciates all of the love and support you’ve given us so far. I will continue to update here and individually as I can, but we are all overwhelmed and it can be a lot responding to everyone.

Dad isn’t always the best patient but he is in good spirits; we know this is just the warm-up for a long fight but he is ready for it.