$7,278 raised
·67 donations
Gail Bartholomew Memorial Fund
Donation protected
This GoFundMe is being set up on behalf of Gail Bartholomew and his partner, Christina Bailey.
Update 6/1/20:
As many of you know, Gail's treatments ultimately were unsuccessful at controlling his cancer and Gail passed away Friday, May 29 at Salem Hospital. Gail and Christy were so grateful for the support and love that they received during Gail's battle with cancer -- we raised $6,375 since January that went towards medical costs, bills, and unpaid leave so that Christy could be by Gail's side over the last several months. We would like to continue our support and are now looking to raise about $2000 more to help Christy pay for cremation and memorial services for Gail. Anything above that will hopefully be going towards a memorial bench in his honor at Gail's favorite park at Cheadle Lake where he and Christy loved to take walks in Lebanon, Oregon.
While services have yet to be planned (partially due to the current pandemic), the family is hoping to aim for something around Gail's birthday in late August. Please look for an update in the coming months.
If you would rather send donations to Christy directly, please contact me for her Venmo info or other ways you can donate and support. Our ultimate goal is to help Christy and Gail's family through this very difficult time by lifting some of the financial burden. I, for one, know that is what Gail would've wanted. Any and all love and support is deeply appreciated. We miss you, Gail.
Original Story:
Back in August, Gail’s spleen spontaneously ruptured and was rushed to the hospital. Upon removal of the spleen, tests were taken to determine the cause. Doctors discovered that Gail has a very rare cancer called Angiosarcoma (cancer of the blood vessels). He immediately went into treatment with chemotherapy to attempt to keep the cancer from spreading.
About Gail:
Gail Bartholomew is a kind, joyful soul who has dedicated his life to helping and serving others, especially adults and children with disabilities. He has worked as a caretaker and is now a special-ed teacher in Oregon, where he lives with his partner of over 7 years, Christina (Chris, as he calls her). Gail has a heart of gold and is highly admired both at work and in his personal life. He has 4 children (Beatrice, 12; Abe, 17; Kat, 20; AJ, 26) and is a loving father that would do anything for his kids. He is loved fiercely by his family and friends, and brings such joy to all of us. The energy and radiance Gail brings is unmatched – in our family, he is known as the baby whisperer, the best dancer on the dance floor, and the person who has made our sister, Christy, the happiest we have ever seen her since they met in 2012. He is the type of man that would go out of his way to help a neighbor and if he didn’t know how to solve the problem, he would offer to stick around to help that person by learning something together. Gail and Chris are true Pacific Northwesterners who love to garden, brew beer, care for their animals, and spend time outdoors as much as possible. In fact, they were camping right before Gail’s spleen ruptured in August.
Current Status:
Unfortunately, after several treatments, doctors determined that chemo was not helping and decided to try target therapy through a medication called Votrient. Although he had been doing extremely well over the span of several months, he was recently rushed to the hospital where doctors learned that the Votrient caused complications and internal bleeding.
On January 17th, he underwent surgery to try to stop the internal bleeding and doctors gave Chris a warning to prepare for the worst – if they were unable to stop the bleeding, harder decisions were going to have to be made. Before Gail went in for the procedure, he reassured Chris and his family and friends that he was going to make it through, cracking jokes with the joyful, positive spirit that he is and embodies. Fortunately, he was right! The procedure was 100% successful and he made it through with flying colors! Although this battle has been won, the war is from over.
Why they need help:
Chris has been by his side the entire time and with the tough road ahead, they are both in need of help. Much to his disappointment, Gail is unable to go to work and teach, and they are both out of vacation days with no income coming in. Chris has also been missing work to be with Gail and they are quickly burning through their savings to stay on top of their expenses. Besides the medical bills piling up (many of which insurance will most likely NOT cover), they need help just covering the basic necessities: mortgage, living expenses, bills, food, and gas. Chris has to commute 100 miles round trip between their house in Sodaville and the hospital in Salem. Gail and Chris are down-to-earth, kind people who never ask for help but now need it more than ever, even if they wouldn’t ask for it themselves. Please consider donating to help support them both through this difficult time – it would mean the world to Chris and Gail and the people who love them.
If you would like to donate to Gail and Chris directly, please contact me.
Update 6/1/20:
As many of you know, Gail's treatments ultimately were unsuccessful at controlling his cancer and Gail passed away Friday, May 29 at Salem Hospital. Gail and Christy were so grateful for the support and love that they received during Gail's battle with cancer -- we raised $6,375 since January that went towards medical costs, bills, and unpaid leave so that Christy could be by Gail's side over the last several months. We would like to continue our support and are now looking to raise about $2000 more to help Christy pay for cremation and memorial services for Gail. Anything above that will hopefully be going towards a memorial bench in his honor at Gail's favorite park at Cheadle Lake where he and Christy loved to take walks in Lebanon, Oregon.
While services have yet to be planned (partially due to the current pandemic), the family is hoping to aim for something around Gail's birthday in late August. Please look for an update in the coming months.
If you would rather send donations to Christy directly, please contact me for her Venmo info or other ways you can donate and support. Our ultimate goal is to help Christy and Gail's family through this very difficult time by lifting some of the financial burden. I, for one, know that is what Gail would've wanted. Any and all love and support is deeply appreciated. We miss you, Gail.
Original Story:
Back in August, Gail’s spleen spontaneously ruptured and was rushed to the hospital. Upon removal of the spleen, tests were taken to determine the cause. Doctors discovered that Gail has a very rare cancer called Angiosarcoma (cancer of the blood vessels). He immediately went into treatment with chemotherapy to attempt to keep the cancer from spreading.
About Gail:
Gail Bartholomew is a kind, joyful soul who has dedicated his life to helping and serving others, especially adults and children with disabilities. He has worked as a caretaker and is now a special-ed teacher in Oregon, where he lives with his partner of over 7 years, Christina (Chris, as he calls her). Gail has a heart of gold and is highly admired both at work and in his personal life. He has 4 children (Beatrice, 12; Abe, 17; Kat, 20; AJ, 26) and is a loving father that would do anything for his kids. He is loved fiercely by his family and friends, and brings such joy to all of us. The energy and radiance Gail brings is unmatched – in our family, he is known as the baby whisperer, the best dancer on the dance floor, and the person who has made our sister, Christy, the happiest we have ever seen her since they met in 2012. He is the type of man that would go out of his way to help a neighbor and if he didn’t know how to solve the problem, he would offer to stick around to help that person by learning something together. Gail and Chris are true Pacific Northwesterners who love to garden, brew beer, care for their animals, and spend time outdoors as much as possible. In fact, they were camping right before Gail’s spleen ruptured in August.
Current Status:
Unfortunately, after several treatments, doctors determined that chemo was not helping and decided to try target therapy through a medication called Votrient. Although he had been doing extremely well over the span of several months, he was recently rushed to the hospital where doctors learned that the Votrient caused complications and internal bleeding.
On January 17th, he underwent surgery to try to stop the internal bleeding and doctors gave Chris a warning to prepare for the worst – if they were unable to stop the bleeding, harder decisions were going to have to be made. Before Gail went in for the procedure, he reassured Chris and his family and friends that he was going to make it through, cracking jokes with the joyful, positive spirit that he is and embodies. Fortunately, he was right! The procedure was 100% successful and he made it through with flying colors! Although this battle has been won, the war is from over.
Why they need help:
Chris has been by his side the entire time and with the tough road ahead, they are both in need of help. Much to his disappointment, Gail is unable to go to work and teach, and they are both out of vacation days with no income coming in. Chris has also been missing work to be with Gail and they are quickly burning through their savings to stay on top of their expenses. Besides the medical bills piling up (many of which insurance will most likely NOT cover), they need help just covering the basic necessities: mortgage, living expenses, bills, food, and gas. Chris has to commute 100 miles round trip between their house in Sodaville and the hospital in Salem. Gail and Chris are down-to-earth, kind people who never ask for help but now need it more than ever, even if they wouldn’t ask for it themselves. Please consider donating to help support them both through this difficult time – it would mean the world to Chris and Gail and the people who love them.
If you would like to donate to Gail and Chris directly, please contact me.
Donations
Organizer and beneficiary
Chelsea Brown
Organizer
University Place, WA
Christina Bailey
Beneficiary