
Crushing It for Carl
Donation protected
Update Sept.2024:
Hi everyone, we really appreciate those who have donated, attended the fundraisers, and continue to send good vibes, prayers and thoughts our way.
We just wanted to give everyone a little bit of an update on our dads battle with MM. In July we found out his cholesterol medicine and his daily cancer medication (revilmed) should not be taken together. As a result, Carl has been battling with severe pain in his feet and legs, leading him to minimize the activity and work he can do. He has been very strong through this adventure, as challenging as it has been. We are trying many different approaches to minimize the pain to provide some comfort and relief.
Please feel free to share the gofundme link with your friends and family as we continue to try and help support Carl on this journey. It hasn’t been an easy one but we’ll continue this battle with all your support behind us!
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As many of you know, Carl, “The Big Guy” has had a very rough go of it since last May.
To begin the series of events, Carl received a TBI after being struck in the head with a steel fence pole pounder as he was repairing fence posts in the yard. The pounder struck him in the head causing a significant gash and blood loss – because, in typical Carl fashion, he didn’t believe it to be that bad and proceeded to crawl up to the house. Due to the extent of the injury, he was rushed to the ER and received 9 staples. This injury caused him to be home on extended leave to recover, however, there are still some residual effects from that accident to date.
Rewind about 6 years ago to when he was kicked by Cwen’s pony Coltn which resulted in a trip to the ER to check for any injuries, which thankfully he did not sustain. After multiple tests it was revealed that he had an Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm which could not have been found without Coltn’s kick. Per doctor's orders he was to monitor this and be sure it did not “grow” any. After 6 years of monitoring, it reached a level of urgency last summer. Surgery was mandatory! As Carl prepared for a major surgery set for November, he had many tests to check that everything was in order. One test revealed a few abnormalities that doctors would later check after this surgery. November came and surgery took place, it was not an easy go in the beginning to say the least. It was a longer than expected surgery and a long recovery, but like anything else, he persisted and did not let this knock him down. The surgery kept Carl out of work longer than expected with intense therapies as well, which exhausted the CT paid leave for the year.
After finally returning to work from his surgery and feeling good, the repeat blood work came and from there he was sent for a bone marrow biopsy since the abnormalities were still present. Two long agonizing weeks passed, and the results of the biopsy revealed a diagnosis of Multiple Myeloma, cancer of the blood. It was a total shock to Carl and his family but another strike of bad luck.
Carl is the main financial provider of their family and only returned for a few short weeks of work to find out he would need to begin treatments starting in April. These treatments will leave him with days out of work yet again, this time unpaid since he has exhausted the paid leave time off. The family is still trying to recover financially from the November surgery and time out of work.
If you have never met Carl, he is without a doubt one of the hardest working, selfless individuals you could meet. The man wakes up and goes to his full-time job, comes home and does side work until the sun sets. Carl would stop anything to lend a hand to anyone who needs help and never asks for help either. His wife Missy is also heavily involved with volunteering for many organizations and would help at any time for anyone in need. They are the type who would give you the shirt off their backs even if that left them with nothing. There is much stress and uncertainty the family is dealing with currently; we want to be sure that stress or worry financially is the last thing to think about. Our goal is to ensure the Cole family concentrates on getting back to a healthy husband, father, PopPop, co-worker and family member to all!
If you can help contribute in any way, it would be greatly appreciated! These funds will help him, and his family, offset their accumulating financial debt and hopefully alleviate the burden they've been dealing with for the last 9 months.
Plans for fundraisers in the upcoming months are being set as well - so keep an eye out for more information.
Carl, Missy and their children (and PopPop’s grandkids) thank you from the bottom of their hearts for your help and support on this next ride.
Organizer
Christin Bradle
Organizer
Roxbury, CT