My familys fight

My name is Clay Crandall. I am an 18 year old high school senior at Bryant High School in Bryant, Arkansas. To say my family has had a devastating year, would be an understatement. Both of my parents have been suffering with or diagnosed with life threatening diseases, and recently my father succumbed to his battle with cancer leaving behind my younger brother and me to care for my mother as well as each other
            My mom and dad have both battled cancer for the past year and half. My mom was diagnosed with breast cancer at stage zero in August 2013. In order to help her survive this, she had a double mastectomy, which means she had both of her breasts removed. This was followed by months of regular doctor visits and procedures, but she eventually got to a point where she felt that she could return to her old life… worry free.
            My mother’s new “worry free” life came to a crashing and crushing halt on October 2, 2014; our family received the devastating news that my father had Stage 3 lung cancer.  This was a whole new test of our family’s ability to cope in trying circumstances; my father had to go through radiation and chemo that caused debilitating sickness. He underwent numerous painful and difficult operations, one being a stint placed in his throat to help him breathe, so the radiation and chemo would not inflame his throat. On February 13, 2015, our family took him to the hospital to look into removing the stint which should have been a good thing, and yet, it led to the news that he would not have much longer to live.     On that same day, Hospice began, and he was homebound for the duration of his illness. On February 14, 2015, my father passed away; he had bravely battled cancer for several months, and by that point he no longer had the strength to fight it anymore. His loss was devastating to our family. He was loved by many, but my mom was hit the hardest because she lost the love of her life.
            Unfortunately for my family, this is not the final chapter in our battle against the beast known as cancer. In January 2015, my mom went to the doctor for a regular check up; she has anemia, so the doctor suggested a colonoscopy. When the procedure was finished, the doctors found a tumor inside of her colon. They removed it at the beginning of February and sent it off to a hospital to find out if that it was cancerous, and that my mom will have to go through chemo. Her fight has just started, and we need all the help we can get.
             My family’s life has been irrevocably and devastatingly altered by the events over the past year: receiving the shattering blows of diagnoses, going to and from the hospital, living through the pain of watching our loved ones suffer knowing we are helpless, and ultimately losing my dad while fearing for my mother’s future. My brother and I are in a state of constant worry about our mother as well as our own futures.

            My hope is to go off to college next fall like my parents have always dreamed that I would. With the current circumstances we are experiencing, our financial outlook is bleak. We are hoping for any help that we can get to help with our financial straits.

Thank you for letting me tell my story.

 Any help that can be offered would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you and God bless,

Clay Crandall