Helping My Family After My Dad's Passing

My name is Katie Robinson-Mays, & I'm the youngest daughter of Charles "Chuck" Robinson.

On Wednesday, 10/18/2023, my Daddy unfortunately passed away after battling cancer for months.

On 4/16/2023, my Dad was admitted to the hospital for pancreatitis. This led to the devastating discovery of three types of cancer, including prostate cancer (stage 2) colon cancer (stage 4 metastatic), & stomach cancer (stage 4). On 4/24, he underwent surgery to remove the tumor from his colon & two tumors from his stomach. The surgery was successful; however, this did not remove all traces of cancer. During his recovery, he experienced numerous complications, including an abscess, bacteremia, & a fungal infection. This resulted in him going into septic shock/respiratory distress & ending up in the ICU. After over a month in the ICU, he was released to inpatient rehab. After a failed attempt to return home, he was readmitted for additional rehab. He finally returned home in August 2023. After receiving additional physical & occupational therapy for over a month, he began to regress. On 10/4/2023, during his first follow-up visit, his oncologist confirmed our suspicions that he would be too weak to handle chemo/radiation to treat the remaining cancer. We opted to turn to home hospice care to focus on quality of life care that prioritized his comfort, as he was terminal. On 10/17/2023, my Dad experienced a medical emergency at home which resulted in him being taken to the ER. We were told we likely needed to prepare for the worst. Daddy was tired & ready to go. On 10/18/2023 at 7:30 AM, with me by his side, he decided it was time.

Our hearts are broken. We are devastated. We thought we had more time & we weren't ready to say goodbye. We are trying to find solace in knowing he's no longer in any pain or discomfort & that he's at peace, with his Mom, Dad, & late siblings-but this is the hardest loss we've ever experienced.

My Dad lived with me & my mom. We were his main caretakers. He was retired, but his social security income contributed greatly to our monthly living expenses. He also didn't have life insurance, so the costs for his cremation & memorial services are being covered by myself & my mom Ronne. My mom, who unfortunately has cancer herself (chronic lymphocytic leukemia), has not been able to work much since my Dad's hospitalization due to prioritizing his care.

We are asking for assistance with my Dad's memorial service expenses, as well as assistance in supplementing the loss of his income. Any help is appreciated, but not expected. Any amount helps us during this rough time in our lives.

Thank you for taking the time to read this & listen to my Dad's story.

We love you, Daddy.