Help Family with Medical Expenses

Keith is the very definition of a good husband. An everyday hero who    has provided unconditional love and support to those he holds dear.      Someone who, after meeting him, betters your life just from knowing    him because you had the chance to interact with his kind and positive    soul.  
 
This past week, Keith received heartbreaking news. He was given a        prognosis of two weeks to a month to live. Now, only a few days later,   has already been placed in hospice. With so much living left to do, this     is merely a breath of time to process what is happening, make                    preparations, meet his sweet newborn grand-baby, spend quality time  with loved ones, and find peace. 
 
Keith was diagnosed with Thyroid Cancer in October, days after                celebrating his 44th birthday. What started as symptoms of the flu,        ended a week later with a cancer diagnosis and the news that it had       already spread to lymph nodes in his neck and throughout his lungs.     Over the past four months, Keith has been a true warrior fighting             tirelessly against this most rare and aggressive type of thyroid cancer, Anaplastic Thyroid Cancer. It is a tumor that has taken over his lymph   nodes, muscles, vocal cords, lungs, and esophagus. And to make               matters worse it is inoperable, with no alternative measures that offer a cure.  
 
Immediately after this news, doctors sent Keith's biopsies off to cancer research labs, which specialize in thyroid cancer, and he learned that      there are several mutations that manifest alongside this disease.            Within two weeks, Keith was diagnosed with the Braf mutation and       doubled up on the chemotherapy. It was an exhausting and vulnerable  time, but then Keith and Laela, Keith's wife, noticed an improvement –  the tumor had reduced, pain in his lymph nodes went down, and hope  was revealed. But with ups also came hard times… Keith spent a few      days in the hospital due to negative side effects, lost his hair, suffered    from a lack of energy, and accrued $116,000 in medical bills by the        middle of  November.  
 
In the hopes of focusing his energy on the things he loves most Keith’s   family and close friends planned a hunting trip for him in early                  November to feed his passion for life and the outdoors. However, the    four-day trip to the Colville Reservation ended with an emergency stay in the Albany ER. After that scare, Keith went to his previously                   scheduled appointment with his oncologist on November 6th – a day     that holds special meaning for Keith. It was the day his mom was born,  the day he took Laela out on their first date, the day his mom passed      away, and now it signifies the date of his first infusion of chemotherapy. 
 
Since his diagnosis, life has changed immensely for Keith, Laela, son       Bryce, daughter Chloe, and others closest to him. Keith has fought to    enjoy life even with immense pain and stress. He has laughed, played     games, enjoyed time with close friends, and celebrated the life of his     first granddaughter Logan Grace. Keith is a man of honor. He will help   anyone and everyone who needs it, and has never asked for anything in return. He has raised and loved Bryce and Chloe as his own, and they     consider Keith as theirs. He is his wife’s, rock, anchor, best friend and     soulmate and she is afraid for the lonely days ahead knowing she will be without the one person she will want comfort from the most. Recently Keith has been sharing he can hear his momma talk to him, and the          family knows they do not have much time left.  
 
This is a message from Bryce, Keith’s stepson, who has been raised by    him as his own:  “Keith is the type of person that would drive and pull    you out of the snow up on some mountain no matter where you were    or what time it was. He is the father that helped glue a fractured family together and was there to help the growth of two very lost children to become successful in life. He was the one to finally show my mother     what true love is and what it means to feel loved. He has been, and          always will be the most selfless, charismatic and loyal person I have         ever been able to call family (besides my sweet mother and sister). I       have been so humbled to have this man as a father, for he has molded  me into the man I am today, and his teachings of life and values will be  passed onto my children and theirs.” 
 
Today, we ask you to consider helping Keith and his family. Keith’s             parting wish is to meet his new grandbaby. To do so, Keith needs               support in flying his son and granddaughter out for a visit to spend a        few precious moments to meet and say goodbye. Anything you can          contribute would be considered a blessing and would allow Keith to       spend his time with his family and not having to worry about the                financial stressors of his diagnosis. I know people see many posts on Go Fund Me, but this is a family’s last chance to be together and we need   your help to make it a reality. If you know of anyone who may connect    to Keith’s story please share this with them.