Grant Tyler's Wish for a Peaceful Final Adventure

Back in late winter of 2024, Tyler noticed pain in his chest and was coughing up blood. He went to the ER where they did a chest X-ray which showed possible bleeding in one of his lungs. He was referred to UW Hospital in Madison for further testing. Through multiple appointments and testing including CT, PET, and MRI it was determined that he has Unresectable Stage 3 C non-small cell lung cancer. His tumor is 9cm and located in his right lung. Unfortunately, in his case the cancer cannot be removed with surgery. He was given a 6% survival rate with a life expectancy of 6 to 10 months.

During the past few months, he has gone through many rounds of chemotherapy twice a week with little improvement and a lot of pain. The bleeding in the lung is getting progressively worse and he continues to throw up significant amounts of blood which at this point requires periodic blood transfusions.

With his quality of life diminishing, he does not want to suffer any longer! He has made the hardest decision of his life at the age of 31, which is to stop treatments and ride out his remaining time with his new bride, Chloe and their Pomsky, Nova.

He lost his mother when he was 19 years old. He watched her fight for her life and suffer in pain and ultimately passed at the age of 39 from Pancreatic cancer.

He said he doesn’t want to die in Wisconsin and wants to travel with his family while he still can. So, they’re packing up his van and pop-up camper and hitting the road. He’d like to see the Appalachian Mountains, the Mojave Desert and swim in the ocean one more time. His dying wish is to sit on the beach in California and watch the sunset one more time. This is where his life started, and this is where he wants it to end.

As a parent, this is the most heartbreaking reality I’ve ever faced. All Tyler wants now is to live the rest of his time in comfort, surrounded by those he loves.

I’m doing everything in my power to make that happen — to give him peace, dignity, and quality of life in his final months.

I cannot afford to fund this journey, not with the mounting hospital bills, paying his car payment and insurance, and the travel expenses. Unfortunately I must also plan for end-of-life arrangements and funeral costs.

I just want to give him the opportunity to complete his final life’s journey and hopefully find peace in the end.

I am asking for help from friends, family, and kind strangers who feel moved to support us. No amount is too small. And if you’re unable to donate, we ask for your prayers, your love, and for you to share this page.

Thank you for standing with our family. Tyler means everything to us, and your kindness means more than we can say.

With love and gratitude,

Jerry, Chloe and Jonathon