Hope for John

This is Jeff and I am writing this letter on behalf of my friend John Larsen. As many of you know, John was diagnosed with stage 3 colon cancer in August of 2021. He took a PET scan after his surgery and it came back negative for cancer. He was told there was no other test that needed to be taken.

After a chronic bowel obstruction since surgery, and losing 70lbs, John has been informed that he has carcinomatosis and was told by an oncologist that he has two choices. Chemotherapy or go on hospice and expect three to six months to live.

They are finally saying that John’s obstruction is cancer. John Is choosing to fight for his life and for Captain Jack’s Stronghold restaurant. Without John's involvement, it will be next to impossible to continue.

John's nephew who is a chef and an EMT from Maryland has graciously offered to come and fill in for John while he is out and possibly stay. On that note we are looking for a studio, Cottage, room or apartment to accommodate him. If you have any leads, please call Five30/Four01/Five571 or call us at the restaurant. I hope this gives everybody some idea of what expenses we will incur during this challenging time.

It takes three people to run the kitchen and staff to run the floor, especially during the Spring and Summer months. Both John and I both depend on the restaurant for survival. If we lose the restaurant, we all lose our jobs and will most likely be forced to move.

Friends and family have inquired about how to donate and where the funds will be allocated to. We want people to know what's going on. First and foremost, medical bills. As well as staying current with Federal quarterly taxes. We must keep up with that. The penalties and interest are steep. Payroll taxes. We have some issues with electric plumbing the roof and vent issues that we were planning on addressing this spring. This is not a new building. Even though we don't own the building, we are responsible for maintaining everything if we want to be here. A lot of work has been missed and we need to keep ahead of payroll for the employees who are filling in.

We want to continue serving our community. Captain Jack’s is our life. John never wanted to reach out for help, but if we don’t reach out for help, we may never be able to return.

It is in God’s hands. Only God knows the day and the hour we leave this earth. Until then, we fight!! We love our friends and family at Captain Jack’s – without their love and support, we would have not made it this far.

This restaurant belongs to all of us and our community, and those that love it and come here, it is a second home.

If you would like to donate to John Larsen, here’s how.

Donations are being accepted at any Umpqua bank. P.O. Box 428, Merrill OR 97633 (If sending a donation, please mark donation) or through Zelle (You’ll need this number to send your Zelle donation Five30/Four01/Five571) or simply click the donate button on the page. If you choose to donate via GoFundMe, they automatically default to adding a 15% tip. This is not mandatory and you can adjust this by moving the bar to whatever you wish. 

We thank all of you for your continued prayers, love and support as we navigate our way through this difficult time.