Gary's Fight Against Cancer

On August 30, 2019 at 1:30pm, I found out my dad, Gary Harris has cancer.

I held the phone to my ear; in shock.

“What kind?” I asked

“Hodgkin's Lymphoma. I found out about a month ago. I didn’t want to tell you; didn’t want to bring sadness to your life.” He said

“I’m glad you told me.”

In October 2018, dad went to the doctor because of a swollen lymph node. “I thought it was cancer, but the doctor told me it wasn’t and that I had nothing to worry about. I pretty much believed them.”

Fast forward to June 2019 and his other lymph node became swollen. He went back to the doctor and this time, they told him it was cancer and that it had spread to his clavicle.

“What did you do?”

“I kept thinking, ’Why is this happening to me. I don’t understand.’ I kept questioning the doctor and he gave me an ultimatum. Either I go through chemotherapy or I die.”

As a child, these are the last words you want to or even expect to hear from your parents. Selfishly, I thought, “No, my dad has to be at my wedding one day, he needs to be here for my children.” As I get older, I realize more and more how alike my dad I am. He is steady and calm, safe and incredibly loving. One of the many treasures he gave me as a child was The Lord's Prayer. We'd kneel beside the bed every night and pray it together. When I had nightmares as a child, he'd always come running.

“I started thinking about my life. I just proposed to my girlfriend and was in the process of planning a wedding and hoping to save to buy a house one day. Now this. I may lose everything.”

Starting on September 14, 2019, my 52 year old dad will begin 4-5 months of chemotherapy and won’t be able to work. Keeping a roof over his head and food on the table are the last things he should have to worry about while fighting for his life.

With no benefits coming in through his job, I am asking for your help with my dad’s basic living expenses and any unexpected expenses that may arise.

Thank you in advance for your donation, love, support and prayers. We would be so grateful if you would share our GoFundMe page.

If you'd prefer to give through Venmo, my dad's username is: @GARY-Harris-58539

With so much love,
Kendra Harris