<div>Hi, I’m Amanda, Phil and Char's daughter. I created this page for my dad—and for our family—as we face a very difficult new reality.
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<div>In March, we discovered my dad has cancer. Over the last three months, we have learned that the cancer is stage 4, aggressive, somewhat rare, and has metastasized into his liver, lungs, gallbladder, lymph nodes, and other places. We still don’t know for sure where it originated. There’s no cure, only treatment. As many of us know, being sick in America is expensive, and my parents could really use some financial support as they navigate this journey. That’s why I started this GoFundMe—to give people who want to help a way to do just that.
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<div>A little background: Dad started experiencing random illnesses last November, which was unusual for him. In March, his former doctor pushed on his stomach, and it hurt. They did a scan that showed multiple lesions on his liver, a blood test, and an emergency room stay. We worried. I flew home, we pushed for answers, and we waited. I flew back to Rhode Island to prepare to return home when needed. He had a biopsy, which confirmed cancer. I flew back to Illinois a month later, thanks to the option to work virtually and wonderful colleagues. Once we had the diagnosis, we immediately transferred his care to Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis to connect with an oncologist. Dad has gotten amazing care. For those who know us, you’ll remember I spent a lot of time in St. Louis hospitals as a kid and young adult, and Mom's oncology care is here, so it is familiar, but no less overwhelming.
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<div>The last three months have been a rollercoaster of good days and really hard days—physically, mentally, and emotionally. Dad's health has declined rapidly. Mom and I have seen glimpses of Dad’s wit and humor peek through even on the toughest days, and his courage and strength shine every single day. In January, he was building houses as a volunteer at Habitat for Humanity, hiking, hosting themed dinners with Mom and friends, and traveling home from Rhode Island after visiting me and providing help with “dad jobs.” Now, he’s lost over 20 pounds and struggles with daily living tasks and, at times, communication. This is going to be a tough road for all of us.
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<div>With Dad and Mom’s permission, I started this campaign because in just 10 weeks, they’ve already faced over $2,500 in medical and related expenses. The cancer center in Southern Illinois, affiliated with Barnes-Jewish Hospital, can’t schedule Dad for at least another month, so traveling two hours to St. Louis for treatment is necessary.
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<div>As of mid-May, Dad has spent 17 days in the hospital in St. Louis. Mom and I have been staying at Barnes Lodge, the family housing near the hospital, which costs $70 a night. That adds up fast, along with gas, food, and special equipment to help Dad with daily living and comfort. For example, Medicare doesn’t cover bathroom aids like shower chairs, safety rails, or modified toilet seats—things that are essential but costly.
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<div>My folks have always been the ones to offer help, not ask for it. I often follow in their footsteps. But right now, we need community—friends, family, and even kind strangers—to help us shoulder this burden. Your donation will go directly toward:
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<div>• Travel and lodging costs for treatment in St. Louis
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<div>• Medical equipment and daily living aids not covered by insurance
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<div>• Meals and emergency expenses for our family as we care for Dad
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<div>My parents have touched so many lives—with care, compassion, encouragement, shelter, food, unconditional love, quirkiness, patience, and for Dad, his quiet smile, lending a tool, an act of service, a dad joke, and a kind hand on your shoulder that make you feel seen and loved. Asking for help isn’t his style, but here we are. <strong>If you can help, please do. Every little bit means the world.</strong>
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<div>Thank you for reading and for being part of our journey.
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<div>—Amanda (Phil &amp; Char)
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Anonymous

Dan W Stearns

Hugh Sakols

Rachel Asher

Desiree Mills

Dan Stearns

Charlotte L Carlson

Brynn Freed

Ellen Dooley

Antonio Gonzalez

Arthur Zaitz

Diann Gordon

Candace Armstrong

William Link

Kimberly Hall

Karen DeLay

Help Phil and Char with Medical Expenses

platform

Platform is iOS

Android

Adyen Google Pay Development Audience

$opt_dummy_attribute

English only

Deprecate Stripe Legacy

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Adyen V6 Bene Transfer & MyMoney Campaign Organizers - test01

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OneTrust next-app audience

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fund country is US and user language is English

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GoFundMe Employees

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Mark Rieth IP Address

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Fund is in English speaking country

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Android v12.11.0 and above

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Payment method type group to be vaulted on success

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EUR Donation Upsell

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Payment Identity Transfers ATO Risk Check (Targeted) - Production

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AUD Donation Upsell audience

fundraiserCountryCode is US/EN

Active Fundraiser - Smart Default Cadence

DAF Internal

Vault on success card payment method

Platform is iOS v11.0.0 and above

Desktop users

Person ids

United States (US) users

allow yuno fundraisers for test

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Posters INTL

NPO Profile Opted-In

iOS at or above 12.4.0

non-US recurring donors

Canada Campaign Owner Group

Fundraiser Without Meta Link

Scheduler payment tester gorup

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Charities allow to be claimed unclaimed (PRD)

Canada (CA) users

UC Tipping v20250115 International

pymk_production_xplr_fe_team

Android at or above 12.2.0

Profile photo entry point audience

smart goals (fundraiser/manage) on test01

Activity Tracking v1 Beta Testing

start gfm intl allowed locales

Platform is iOS v11.2.0 and above

NPO upsell education category

unclaimed charities

prod_ach_audience

AI Chatbot Audience

amp13 only new funds (prod) (anyword auto)

UC Flow Enabled (Prod)

Payment Identity Beneficiary Verification - Production

shared notification bell audience

Custom users

ach frontend audience

Android v11.0.0 and above

Users Receiving Payments Paused Notifications

smart goals test01

Manage Coach - US English Organizers Only + new funds only

Team EGG - IP Address list

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UC Tipping v20250107

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GB Donation Upsell audience 

Auto Thanks V3 Rollout Audience

Thank you V3 testing whitelist

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NPO upsell animals category

NPO upsell disaster relief category

Logged In Users

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Survicate

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CAD Donation Upsell Audience

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NPO Profile Opted-Out

iOS App Version

hasKnownDonors

PYMK has donors

iOS v12.3.0 and above

Just $810$ to go! Make an impact.

Help Phil and Char with Medical Expenses

Just $810 to go!
Make an impact.