Help Mike send Aidan to College!
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Help Mike send Aidan to College!
I am trying to raise money to send my friend Mike’s son, Aidan, to college. Mike is an amazing and giving person, always there when you need him and never shy about asking you if you need help. Because he is such a giving person, I wanted to take an opportunity to give back to him and help his dream of sending his son to college come true. Aidan is an A student in the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) Program with the necessary drive to succeed in whatever he puts his mind to. Aidan is a typical teenager, hanging out with friends and such, but he also enjoys hanging out with Mike and going on road trips with him.
In January 2018, Mike was informed that he had a tumor in his stomach, and this tumor was cancerous. In June 2018, Mike had surgery to remove the tumor and thankfully, this DID NOT result in a complete loss of his stomach. Mike was given several more years to live and things looked like they would be ok.
As Mike and I are roughly the same age, we frequently talk and discuss what we wanted for us and for our families. Mike told me the only thing he wanted was to be here for Aidan’s graduation and see him start college.
As required following his surgery, Mike went through regular check-ups and screenings to ensure the cancer was in remission. Mike’s levels were good and it appeared that the cancer was in remission.
This went well until early January 2020 when Mike was having a hard time keeping food down. He self-admitted to the hospital January 26 and it was determined that he had an intestinal blockage. After surgery and testing, the blockage was identified as cancerous and it was aggressive, having traveled back into the stomach. Diagnosis: 24-30 months…that was roughly the time Aidan would graduate and Mike accepted this, willing to go through the chemo and anything else necessary to make this happen.
Then complications came during the healing from his surgery which resulted in a pancreatic duct blockage; this required additional surgery. Following this second surgery, Mike’s time left was rapidly growing shorter. Due to the aggressive nature of the disease (or rapid progression) chemotherapy was no longer an option. On Monday March 30, Mike was admitted to in-home hospice and IV nutrition was removed.
While Mike will not be able to see his son graduate high school, we can all help give him peace of mind that his son will have the much needed money for college.
As a 16yo, watching your father die is a horrible thing to endure. I know this is not a unique situation and there are certainly other children in a similar situation, but I wanted to do something for my friend and for his son, so I decided to start this page; please help us raise money to send Aidan to college and help a father’s and friend’s dream come true.
Mike lost his fight with cancer on April 13, 2020 at his home with his sister at his side.
Written by Jeff Patke
I am trying to raise money to send my friend Mike’s son, Aidan, to college. Mike is an amazing and giving person, always there when you need him and never shy about asking you if you need help. Because he is such a giving person, I wanted to take an opportunity to give back to him and help his dream of sending his son to college come true. Aidan is an A student in the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) Program with the necessary drive to succeed in whatever he puts his mind to. Aidan is a typical teenager, hanging out with friends and such, but he also enjoys hanging out with Mike and going on road trips with him.
In January 2018, Mike was informed that he had a tumor in his stomach, and this tumor was cancerous. In June 2018, Mike had surgery to remove the tumor and thankfully, this DID NOT result in a complete loss of his stomach. Mike was given several more years to live and things looked like they would be ok.
As Mike and I are roughly the same age, we frequently talk and discuss what we wanted for us and for our families. Mike told me the only thing he wanted was to be here for Aidan’s graduation and see him start college.
As required following his surgery, Mike went through regular check-ups and screenings to ensure the cancer was in remission. Mike’s levels were good and it appeared that the cancer was in remission.
This went well until early January 2020 when Mike was having a hard time keeping food down. He self-admitted to the hospital January 26 and it was determined that he had an intestinal blockage. After surgery and testing, the blockage was identified as cancerous and it was aggressive, having traveled back into the stomach. Diagnosis: 24-30 months…that was roughly the time Aidan would graduate and Mike accepted this, willing to go through the chemo and anything else necessary to make this happen.
Then complications came during the healing from his surgery which resulted in a pancreatic duct blockage; this required additional surgery. Following this second surgery, Mike’s time left was rapidly growing shorter. Due to the aggressive nature of the disease (or rapid progression) chemotherapy was no longer an option. On Monday March 30, Mike was admitted to in-home hospice and IV nutrition was removed.
While Mike will not be able to see his son graduate high school, we can all help give him peace of mind that his son will have the much needed money for college.
As a 16yo, watching your father die is a horrible thing to endure. I know this is not a unique situation and there are certainly other children in a similar situation, but I wanted to do something for my friend and for his son, so I decided to start this page; please help us raise money to send Aidan to college and help a father’s and friend’s dream come true.
Mike lost his fight with cancer on April 13, 2020 at his home with his sister at his side.
Written by Jeff Patke
Fundraising team: Friends of Mike (4)
Mindy Bennett
Organizer
Leonardtown, MD
Amy Reed Van Vleet
Beneficiary
Jeffrey Patke
Team member
Kiela Frye
Team member
