Help Holly & kids survive the loss of her spouse

I really hate to have to do this. I prefer to be the person donating to causes and other people's GoFundMe accounts, which I would sometimes search at random for people who needed money.

 

But I am humbly asking for any help (and am again making this campaign at the request of friends.)

 

I just lost my husband--to call him my best friend and soulmate are terms too weak and shallow to describe what we had together for 28 years. He was a dedicated husband and father beyond any sense of the words. He truly lived his entire life for us, always showing us grace, acceptance, and humor, and working himself beyond exhaustion to provide for us and to help us. 

 

Sadly, he was diagnosed with stage IV colon cancer 2.5 years ago. His goal was to make it to our 30th anniversary, to see our youngest son graduate from college, and most importantly, to make it until I was 50.

 

If anyone could have survived on sheer will alone, I have no doubts that my husband would have done so until I was 50 and no longer had to worry. He was so worried about my survival. But sadly, it was not meant to be. He passed away on 1/1/2022 after a very sudden decline.

 

I'm on disability after suffering a mild stroke in my early 40s and finally being diagnosed with a very rare form of leukodystrophy, which is progressive and incurable. I am not eligible for my husband's Social Security survivor benefits until I turn 50, which is in a little over 2 years.

 

He was such a pillar of strength during the whole time he fought cancer. He often went into work right after chemo treatments with the chemo pump still attached. Only three people in his entire office even knew he had cancer. He worked right through his entire fight with cancer. He didn't want to be known as "that guy with cancer" and he definitely didn't want to be pitied.

 

He was the most honorable and amazing man you would ever meet. He accepted absolutely everyone and would've given you the shirt off his back. When I would ask him if it was okay if I donated money to someone, he would often tell me to double it.

 

The world has lost someone who tried to make it better every day in his own small way. My sorrow and grief are absolutely immeasurable. 

Fortunately, we do have three absolutely amazing young adult kids who are going to try to help me get by, but they need time to get up to speed. I do have a modest life insurance policy of about 1.5 times his annual salary.

But I am also worried for so many reasons, not the least of which is my disability, which limits my earnings. My kids are all just trying to get started, as they avoided working because they feared getting Covid and bringing it home. My son has also dropped out of college, which is a huge blow as he was an engineering major with bright prospects. 

We were just starting to get ahead, after years of financial struggle, when he was diagnosed with cancer. Unfortunately, we planned to get additional life insurance but he was diagnosed with cancer and became uninsurable before we could do it.

 

I am humbly asking for any help you feel compelled to give and will be so grateful for any cent received. Your kindness will truly never be forgotten and I mean every word of that.

 

If you want to read about the story of me and my husband, you can find it at hollycase.medium.com. I suggest that you start here .

 

In gratitude,

Holly