Help Support Nick Ziegler and his family

Hello, my name is Patricia and my family, and I have started this gofundme for our dear friends Nick, April and their daughter Zoey.

On November 11th, Nick, a devoted husband, father, and sole provider for his young family was told he had stage 4 metastatic colon cancer. Leading up to the diagnosis, Nick had trouble eating and felt unwell for quite some time when he finally sought help. His failing kidneys were the first thing the doctors uncovered, and while receiving treatment, they discovered cancer in his colon. So far, he has had to endure multiple surgeries, treatments, and hospital stays just to keep his body going. He is still hospitalized as he needed another surgery yesterday (December 5th) to help fix another blockage. Nick has been placed on palliative care. The family is hopeful that his kidneys can be stabilized enough so that Nick can start a weakened dose of chemo to give him a little more time with his young daughter Zoey and his wife April but so far the treatment has just been managing his health enough to keep him stable.

Unfortunately, this isn’t the only medical issue this family has had to deal with, as Zoey, their only daughter, is followed by the cardiac team at Sick Kids hospital. Zoey was born with a congenital heart defect that required heart surgery when she was just a baby, and more interventional heart surgeries will be needed throughout her life to keep her healthy. Thankfully she was just recently seen for her regular check-up, and the family is grateful that she is stable at the moment, so that is some good news for them during this highly stressful time.

April is a devoted stay-at-home mother and wife who is now faced with losing her partner and facing the next chapter of challenges that come with that alone while trying to keep things as normal and stable as possible for Zoey. As Nick was the sole provider for them and is now unable to work, April has been scrambling to try and find a job that would allow her to be able to support her husband during his palliative care and all the appointments and also be there to support Zoey during a time of great sadness and anxiety for her.

April and her family are always willing to help their neighbours or our community. April is a constant presence at our local elementary school, volunteering her time to help wherever and whenever she’s needed, helping so many of our events run smoothly. I personally have experienced and seen just how thoughtful and kind this family is, and I know I am not alone. They treat their community and friends like family. During a time when they have every reason to be preoccupied with their own problems, they still focus on giving back to others with their yearly Christmas packages for the elderly in long-term care homes and for their Sick Kid's family, who have played an enormous role in their life. Please help me lift them up during this unbelievably difficult time and show them that their community has their back, that we care and that they don’t have to go through this alone. Every little bit helps and will go directly to them to help them with everyday bills, travel to and from the hospital and any end-of-life expenses. This help will serve as a bridge gap while April finds work. But mostly, we want to give Nick some peace of mind that his family will have a little help and won’t be left in a dire situation should things take a sudden turn for the worse.

We thank you on behalf of Nick and his family for taking the time to read this and hope we can help bring a little joy to them before Christmas.