My hard working father went in for surgery on the 8th to treat his lymphatic cancer which was diagnosed last year. This will be the second time he has had a cancerous mass removed beneath his left lymph node since last year.

He is the pillar of our family and a former leader in his previous church community, St Jean Baptiste Parish in Morinville from 2000 to 2010 when he had more mobility. He was able to help so many folks in need in the Morinville area since he and a friend -re-started the St Vincent de Paul Society in Morinville. During that time whether anyone who was struggling with homelessness to needing some assistance if one needed some furniture or food my dad was always there even going as far as opening the door letting some folks stay in the guest bedroom of their home for a few days to a few weeks if they needed a place to stay. My dad never complains of how much pain he endures due to losing his left leg in a motorcycle accident at the age of 18. He struggled to work full time consistently over the years doing the best he could to provide for his family. He is a master of masking his chronic pain, relying on his strong Catholic faith to help him navigate his daily struggles with mobility. He always wore a prosthetic limb since his accident. After so many years of putting so much weight on his good leg he was put on a non emergency wait list for a knee replacement surgery four years ago. In July of 2024 he experienced a stroke that left him clinically dead for seven minutes. He was very fortunate that he didn't suffer any neurological issues after thorough testing. Sadly he was diagnosed with lymphatic cancer last summer after experiencing a severe pain in his lymph nodes that wouldn't go away. My parents only receive OAS and CPP benefits every month.

I have been asking for some kind of financial assistance to help pay for nutritional supplements (ie-Boost, Ensure) and oral swabs (foam or sponge swabsticks) only to be continuously denied aid. We were paying hundreds of dollars out of pocket for these items from medical supply stores when he was back home from the hospital recovering last year. My dad mentioned he was denied any support from the Alberta Cancer Foundation from a social worker at the U of A Hospital. Paying out of pocket for oral swabs at medical supply stores can cost upwards over two dollars each. He can go through 4-6 per day to remove the phlegm and bad saliva in his mouth. His recovery time will take months. It has been nothing but pure anxiety, paranoia and depression these past few weeks. I cannot get a full night's rest. I cannot ground myself. I just don't know what to do. I just wish I could get some answers but all I get while trying to advocate for my sick dad are closed doors. There is only so much I can do since I am on AISH most likely transitioning to ADAP as of July 1st. Any financial aid would be greatly appreciated to help my family out immensely since my dad will be going home soon to recover until he goes in for chemoradiation. Thank you for your time and please share this post with whomever you may be able to help