Help Mike fight the big C

Story

  Firstly, THANK YOU for clicking on this page. Sadly, there are so many people in the world who are in desperate need; it’s difficult to decide whom to help first without feeling quietly guilty for all the rest that weren’t your first pick to help. Most people come to Go Fund Me to help a loved one. If you’ve come to this page because you know Mike and Tegon, then you know what an incredible family they are. If you don’t know them then thank you even more for coming here to know their story. #GoBeyondGiving                                                          The Millhoff’s story:            My sister Tegon married an amazing man name Mike Millhoff.  Mike is a Marine veteran, serving in Operation Just Cause in Panama and other campaigns around the globe. They were married on Valentine’s Day 2003 and he adopted her son Cameron. God blessed them with two more smart, kind, funny, and sweet boys, Walker and Mason. They are such a phenomenal family.                      December 13, 2010, just one month before Mike’s 45th birthday they heard some of the worst news that a family or person can ever hear- Mike had stage three colon cancer. As a Marine veteran he knows how to fight and he’s been bravely fighting ever since. Two years ago it went from bad to worse: the colon cancer had metastasized to his lungs and it was terminal. He’s had multiple surgeries, has to deal with daily wound care from the colectomy, and has had multiple blood clots in his jugular vein from the port that he’s had to have for years and years for the multiple rounds of chemo. The silver lining was that it was slow growing. Their silver lining popped July 2016 when the doctor told Mike and Tegon that his tumors had grown significantly and they needed to be prepared. He just went on long term disability, and they were barely making ends meet before. Now there’s simply not enough money coming in to cover the monthly bills; let alone cover the costs of six years worth of medical bills.             The thing is they shouldn’t be focusing on the daily struggle of whether or not they can pay for food or housing, let alone the crushing mountain of medical bills that have been piling up for the last six years. My sister, Mike, and their children desperately need the time and resources to spend time together making memories.            We lost our mom and dad in 2014, 2 months apart, and then this February we lost Mike’s mom. The thought of knowing what’s to come utterly breaks my heart. I try to help them as much as I can, but I’m only one person. They need a village to help them. The Millhoff’s are a good family, good people. Mike has fought in the battlefields for our freedom. They are involved with their church and Tegon works as a preschool teacher. Tegon went on a mission trip to Cartagena in 2014, and she and Mike went together in 2015.                       Let that sink in for a moment. Here is a family dealing with cancer and they travel to another country to help others. First off, getting through airport security has its own set of problems. Secondly, is how uncomfortable it is for someone with colon cancer with a wound that never healed to sit for long periods of time, especially a small hard airplane seat. Thirdly, living with a colostomy bag is no picnic. But Mike and Tegon felt the call of the God to minister to these people; to pass out glasses to those in need, Mike played his guitar and sang for them, they helped build a school, and Mike talked with others that were sick.            I love my sister and her family with all of my heart. We’ve held hands in the worst moment of our lives. And I can’t bear the thought of what she and Mike and the boys must be going through. Cancer has been their “normal” for so long that the boys can’t remember a time before their daddy had cancer. Yet,  no matter how horrible things get for them, they continue to have faith and they find the good and humor in life. It is a true testament of how fantastic they are. Unfortunately, I can’t know what it feels like to be them. The only people that really can know are families where a parent/spouse/child has cancer.             Here’s the good news: YOU CAN HELP. Whether you personally know what it’s like, or because you know someone with cancer and you feel the gut wrenching helplessness of wanting to do more. Every dollar helps. I know each of you have hardships that you are dealing with in your life, but I pray that you find it in your heart to help my sister, her husband, and their boys.            I challenge each of us to extend the feeling of happiness when you “pay it forward” by clicking on a random campaign and donating $5. To be an example to others, for each month where there is at least 20 donations I will pick 20 random pages and donate $1 to each of them.             All money donated will go to the Millhoff family. I would love to raise enough to pay for at least one year of bills and catch up on the medical bills. It would mean the world to me, and to them, if they could experience miracles and magic during this difficult time.             My apologies for the length of this. I need to help my sister. I love her. And I love my brother in law and need to help him. I have to try.             Thank you so much for reading this. May your days be filled with blessings and light. My appreciation and love to every single one of you.        Love always, Taylor#GoBeyondGiving***** UPDATE: Mike's health is continuing to decline. He suffers from neuropathy and living in Indiana during the winter is causing him a lot of pain due to the cold. Additionally the chemo is starting to affect his eyesight; as in he is starting to lose it. Nothing like beginning to go blind from chemo eh?He also still has the blood clot(s) in his jugular and we're having to keep it monitored because it's wreaking its own havoc. Please continue to pray and share, and hopefully donate.Happy holidays!Love Taylor************.