2021 was shaping up to be “their year”, settling into their home, engagement and after a long, difficult journey, finally expecting their first baby boy. Heather and Bill were both overwhelmed with happiness! Then, in December 2021, Heather was hospitalized for 13 days with pregnancy complications and after being discharged home, she was on low activity and unable to return to her job as a hospice nurse. During her hospitalization, which was already a challenging and scary time for them, they received a call from Bills doctor about an abnormal finding and he was told to call the oncologist immediately. Within a few weeks, Bill received a diagnosis of stage 4, Diffuse large B cell non-hodgkins lymphoma. This is a highly aggressive cancer which luckily means it usually responds well to treatment. In a month, their entire world had come crashing down and their excitement turned into fear. They worked hard to get Bill the best care possible as soon as possible while keeping their baby safe too. Heather was induced a week early for Rykers safety and so that Bill could start chemotherapy immediately. They welcomed their beautiful, healthy baby boy Ryker on January 7th and Bill started chemo on January 12th, Rykers due date! He has since undergone 6 chemotherapy treatments. No one should have to start chemotherapy 5 days after the birth of their first child. Bill will now need radiation therapy after completing chemotherapy.

We are holding a fundraiser to help raise money for them for the medical cost they both incurred and the loss of income they’ve had for many months.