My name is Jessica, and I am the daughter of Donald and Elizabeth Vann.

In December 2024, while doing what they love most—RVing through Arizona in their retirement—our dad, Donald, began having terrible earaches and a sore throat. A trip to the ER and a biopsy brought devastating news: throat cancer. Scans also revealed a small spot in his lung that doctors were going to monitor.

When he was first diagnosed, he refinanced his truck to help cover living expenses and medical costs during treatment. As a retired veteran living on retirement, disability, and Social Security, that extra money has helped — but it can only last so long. Before treatment could start, he had to have all his teeth removed to avoid complications. That didn't go very well either, he had complications with that and would have bone fragments stuck in his gums that had to be removed.

He then endured 6 weeks of chemotherapy and 35 rounds of radiation. Unfortunately, the results were not what we had hoped for.

He faced severe side effects—painful irritations, rashes, infections, and coughing fits that sometimes led to bleeding. One bleed was so severe that he was rushed to University of Missouri Hospital, where he lost a significant amount of blood and required an emergency transfusion and intubation & sedation over several days. Over time, he would need multiple transfusions as his red blood cell count dropped. Doctors ultimately performed a transarterial embolization to stop the bleeding, which was coming from small branches off the carotid artery.

A follow-up PET scan, CT scan, and X-ray brought mixed news: the cancer in his throat had regressed, but the spot in his lung had grown and was now metastatic.

Dad’s official diagnosis is Stage 4 advanced cancer. Surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy are no longer options. Now, our focus is on quality of life, extending the time we have with him, and exploring every possible treatment—starting with immunotherapy and looking into experimental options.

We are creating this GoFundMe to help with:

-Medical bills and ongoing treatment costs

-Monthly household expenses

-Travel expenses for family visits (all of us kids live out of state)

Our family has been doing everything we can to be here for Dad.

My brother Nick, a retired Air Force veteran living in Tennessee, has put his full-time job search on hold to come to Missouri and help.

My brother Buddy, an Air Force veteran living in Texas, has already used 80 of his 100 hours of paid leave to be here.

I’m a military spouse living in New Jersey, and I’ve been here for nearly two and a half weeks — and will stay for as long as I’m needed.

Over the past several months, as Dad’s health took a turn, we’ve made multiple trips back and forth from our homes to Missouri, spending thousands of dollars to make sure someone is always by his side. On top of that, Dad’s treatments are in Columbia, requiring a 1.5-hour round trip every single day — in addition to airport travel for those of us flying in and out.

If you are able to contribute, we would be so grateful. We also ask that you keep our dad in your prayers. Your love, encouragement, and kindness mean more than you know.

Cancer is cruel. But our dad is a fighter. Our hero. Our Superman. Our rock. And we will fight alongside him for as long as it takes.

Thank you for reading. Thank you for donating. Thank you for praying.

With love,

Donald, Elizabeth, Jess, Nick, and Buddy (little Donald)