Give to John Guy’s medical fund

Hi! I'm Bob. I grew up living next door to my best friend. We did everything together. From skipping stones across the pond in third grade to tinkering with the engines in our first cars, John Guy has been my lifelong pal and a loyal friend to many others.

Today, I'm appealing to every charitable and kind-hearted person out there to give generously in support of a brave veteran, a wonderful man, and his loving family.

At just 25 years old, John was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes shortly after he was honorably discharged from the U.S. Navy. Even for a young man in his prime, diabetes is a difficult disease to manage. Thanks to his personal discipline, John managed this destructive disease for most of his life. He persevered with strength of mind to create a beautiful life with a loving family—his wife Carol, four children, and plenty of adoring grandchildren.

A proud Navy veteran

While John’s greatest honor was to serve in the Navy, his greatest pride is experiencing the freedom his family enjoys thanks to all those who’ve served before, with and after him. In the early years of the Vietnam War, he sailed aboard the USS Ranger, helping facilitate the "safe and expeditious recovery" of naval aircraft in the Tonkin Gulf. Today, he serves as the retired aircraft carrier’s historian, spending hours and hours researching, collecting and chronicling its excursions from 1957 to 1993. The dedication honors the ship’s seamen with a platform to share their memories and tell their stories.

A financial burden

Living a life complicated by diabetes has finally caught up with my dear friend. In recent years, John has lost most of his eyesight and undergone several expensive, life-saving procedures, which ultimately resulted in losing his left leg and half his right foot. Though he's as jolly as ever, his family has had to make difficult medical and financial decisions, compromising a livelihood many of us take for granted. The enormous out-of-pocket expenses have left them with unmanageable debt. Every cent of their savings has been wiped out. Credit cards are maxed out. And the medical expenses continue to roll in.

A new fight: stage-3 cancer

Adding to the stress, doctors just confirmed his left lung is filled with cancer. Diabetes has already taken its toll; now it adds another layer of complications and risk to an already life-threatening and expensive journey. John requires an advanced level of care provided by a costly skilled-nursing facility. When a bed opens, we hope he’ll be transferred to the nearest VA Hospital in Topeka, Kansas. Even with VA support, John’s wife and family face more and more medical expenses piling on top of the existing medical debt they've been trying to manage for years. It's a daunting road ahead.

Give generously

The last thing my friend John needs to worry about while he fights this cancer is the very real possibility of leaving his wife and family with an impossible financial burden, further limiting their freedom he and our other veterans have fought for over the years.

Friends, please come together to help support John and his family while he fights for his life. All donations will immediately be directed to John’s existing five-figure medical debt and hopefully fund the thousands of dollars in new expenses heading their way, including deductibles, co-pays, treatment costs, general living expenses, and travel and transportation costs so Carol can be by his side to support his fight.

Thank you for your kind consideration. Your support will give comfort and help ease this family’s enormous financial burden.