Just when you think life is settling down things always seem to surprise you. A couple of months ago, Frank was going on with life as usual as a retiree. There was the yard to tend to, animals to feed, and things to fix around the house. Just months after sending his youngest daughter off to college he and Bea were getting ready to welcome his newest grandchild to the world. 

Then, a month and a half ago, Frank began feeling a little run down but kept on with his daily life. This month things are very different and Frank is now facing a diagnosis of Leukemia. And, you can bet, Frank is going to fight this one with all he's got.

Frank has been diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia. This is a  cancer of the blood and bone marrow. With AML, the myeloid stem cells in the bone marrow don't develop as they should. Instead, the cells become abnormal leukemia cells. The "acute" part of this leukemia is that it can progress quickly. It affects the healthy normal blood and can spread to other parts of the body fast. Frank's symptoms and diagnosis all happened in less than two months. 

Frank is currently beginning chemotherapy in the hospital. He is in the great hands of his Kaiser Permanante medical team and God. His spirits are up and he's determined to kick leukemia's butt. With his wife and family by his side, and with the support of his friends, Frank is going to get through this. 
http://www.cancer.org/cancer/leukemia-acutemyeloidaml/detailedguide/leukemia-acute-myeloid-myelogenous-what-is-aml

If you know Frank then you know he doesn't back down from a challenge. Born in Wyoming, and the oldest of 9 kids, he had to step it up early in life. At age 14, Frank lost his father and he then helped his mom raise the family. He graduated from Hemet High School and then joined the U.S. Army. He bravely served our country in Vietnam.  He is now retired after 30 years of service at the Eastern Municipal Water District. He is the proud father of 7 children, grandfather of 14 children, and great-grandfather to one. He is "Uncle  Frank" or "Tio Frank" to many nieces and nephews. And, he is a good friend to all. No doubt Frank's is a long history of hard work, love, and helping others. Not to mention all the years of children's sports and birthdays. The last 23 years of it all has been with Bea by his side.

Right now Frank and Bea can use a little help to keep all that going. Frank has a hard fight ahead of him. He will need his wife and family at his side. Frank and Bea will need our help during the days ahead as they focus on Frank getting through chemotherapy in the hospital and his expected recovery at home.

This GoFundMe has been created for Frank and Bea out of love and respect for their many kindnesses. Chances are that if you are looking at this then you know Frank and Bea well. All money donated to this GoFundMe will be used to assist Frank and Bea as they get through this. This account has been set up to help Bea manage it all directly. The funds will help to cover expenses that are just beginning with this hospital stay. The loving donations made to this account will help Bea to cover their daily expenses, bills, and maintaining the home and animals. All their expenses will be challenging since Bea will need to spend as much time as she can with Frank. The hope is that she won't have to rush back to work at Eastern Municipal Water District until Frank is healthy enough.

The months ahead won't be easy but Frank is in good spirits and ready to beat this illness. Your kindness will be greatly appreciated and extremely helpful. Please keep them in your thoughts. With love, prayers and support, this family will get through this. God bless.

Our sincere thanks,
Frank and Bea's niece
(On behalf of the Mercado, Ulloa and Franco families)