Hi, my name is Rachel Kramer and I’m fundraising for an amazing and influential man in my life. An unlikely friendship you might think, but Dick Tallman is a man I have known for more than 20 years! He coached me on my first (and honestly most FUN) premier soccer team, The Sparta Wings, when I was just a teenager. Throughout the years we kept in touch via Facebook, checking in often and encouraging one another in tough times. He has been an inspirational coach and friend, always looking at life in the most positive ways despite any obstacles he faced. Recently he was diagnosed with Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC). According to test results and scans there is one mass that is definitely cancer and another that is likely cancer. He still has very little information on stage, progression, or treatment plan despite this journey beginning in April. At that time, he made an emergency trip to the ER with extreme abdominal pain and discovered his liver was bleeding very badly. A surgeon injected a clot of microbeads to stop the bleeding. Since then he has been under a barrage of tests, in addition to bi-weekly drainage of his abdomen (paracentesis). Although he remains positive every step of the way, he has been unable to work this whole time and finances are tight. He thankfully was able to get some limited benefits through the state, but federal assistance via Social Security Disability benefits will not start until November and are only a fraction of a normal salary for him. In deciding to start this fundraiser, I thought to myself, if this man means a lot to me, surely he has tons of people who would donate to help him get through this hard time. At this point his doctors have recommended a procedure which involves injecting radioactive beads into his cancerous lesions, but it has not yet been scheduled. I will provide information as often as I can to keep people updated on his treatment moving forward. If there are people out there who love this man, or just anyone who feels for his story and would like to chip in, ANY amount helps. He has a beautiful family with a wonderful, supportive wife and three amazing daughters (even some grandkids now too!). They are all in my prayers. I ask you to please give your thoughts and prayers for recovery and healing as well:)! Thanks so much!