Friends, family, and members of our community—

We are coming together to support someone who has spent his life quietly supporting others.

Tim Ralston, 51, was born and raised in Burgettstown, PA and has lived in Crescent Township since 2017. If you know Tim, you know someone who never asks for help, even when he needs it most. He is the kind of person who worries about everyone else first—to his own detriment—and gives without expecting anything in return.

Many people in this community know Tim through food. He has spent years cooking in restaurants throughout the area, and there’s a good chance that if you’ve enjoyed lunch somewhere in the tri-state area, Tim may have cooked it for you. More importantly, he has always cooked for the people he loves—Thanksgiving dinners, Christmas meals, birthdays, and countless meals delivered to elderly family members who depended on him. For Tim, cooking was about care, connection, and showing up for others.

That same generosity defines every part of who he is. Tim has quietly given away the last cash in his wallet so someone else could eat. He has driven friends hundreds of miles to make sure they reached rehab safely. He has helped family members in crisis without hesitation and without fanfare. This is simply who he is.

On December 26, 2025—the day after Christmas—Tim received devastating news. After months of pain that he endured quietly so his family could enjoy the holidays, doctors discovered enlarged lymph nodes around his stomach. He was told he has cancer, and doctors are currently working to determine the exact type and extent. On January 12, 2026, a 10 cm mass was also found in his esophagus. He is still awaiting biopsy results, but it is already clear this will be a long and difficult road.

Tim does have medical insurance, but like so many families, insurance does not mean affordable care. Because this diagnosis occurred over the New Year, the family is facing deductibles and copays from both the 2025 and 2026 insurance cycles. Tim cannot work for the foreseeable future, and his wife Laura has not been able to work since Christmas Eve, as she has been at the hospital every day supporting Tim, attending appointments, and helping make critical medical decisions. She will continue driving him back and forth for treatment and care.

Tim and Laura are raising two daughters—Lydia (14) and Meadow (7). Lydia understands that her dad is sick, though only in broad terms. Meadow knows only that “Daddy’s belly hurts.” Like any parent, Tim’s greatest fear is not for himself, but for his children.

In Tim’s own words:

“If this thing goes south on me, I just want my wife and kids to be okay.”

And also:

“I need to watch my kids grow up.”

Right now, Tim’s biggest goal is financial security—not comfort, not extras, just the ability to keep food in the refrigerator, make the mortgage payment, attend medical appointments, and focus on fighting cancer instead of worrying about how to pay to see a doctor. This fundraiser is not about charity. It is about a community taking care of one of its own.

If everyone who knows Tim—or knows someone who knows Tim—gave even a small amount, we could lift an enormous weight from this family’s shoulders. Every donation goes directly toward medical expenses, transportation, household bills, and keeping Tim’s family stable while he fights for his life.

Tim is not giving up. He is fighting—for his children, for his family, and for the future he still believes in.

If you are able to help, please do. If you cannot donate, please consider sharing this fundraiser so others who know Tim can show up for him now—just as he has always shown up for them.

Thank you for your kindness, your generosity, and your support.