Help for Ian Anderson

My dear friends, this is the hardest thing I have ever written.
I need your help.


My son has cancer.
He needs our help.

 
This terrible year has been challenging enough with the CoronaVirus Pandemic, but two months ago, my 35 year old son Ian, received the devastating diagnosis of Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. No one knows why Lymphoma develops, but he is fortunate that the prognosis is very good. Nevertheless, Ian has chemotherapy every other week and he has four more long months of rigorous treatment to go, followed by some serious and debilitating radiation. Chemo knocks the wind out of this normally spirited young man for days afterward. A very long winter and spring are ahead indeed. At the insistence of his amazing oncologist, he has had to leave his job due to his weakened immune system and his compromised state and, in addition, exposure to Covid-19 from his workplace, or anywhere for that matter, could have dire consequences. He currently has no income. As you can imagine, this distressing situation brings with it a stack of medical bills and extensive financial burdens for Ian and his darling girlfriend, Bagsby. Our goal, with your generosity, is to help them so that they can focus on the long and painful road to healing and recovery. 


You may or may not have had the pleasure of knowing my son. Ian is a very private, unassuming and humble man. He loves to cook and has worked very hard in the restaurant/bar business since he was a teenager. He lives with Bagsby and their beloved rescue dog, Jackie Brown. Just recently, and quite unexpectedly, a tiny black kitten, whom they have named Hashbrown, has come into their lives like a little bundle of hopeful distraction to "love on" and provide comfort during this trying time. A keen observer of Nature, Ian feels at home being outside; he loves to kayak, fish, hike and sit by a warm, crackling campfire. On his "good" days in between chemo treatments, he and I have taken many hikes through the amazing parks that Tennessee has to offer. We both noticed how this Autumn's fall leaves were more brilliant than ever before. Spending this quality time together has been one of the silver linings for us both. As the bi-monthly chemo slowly wreaks havoc (and healing) through his body, these hikes will become shorter and assuredly slower, but we know, over time, his strength will return. With God's grace, by late Spring, we will hike the paths and climb those hills together again, with a restored vitality and a new appreciation for every new leaf and blade of grass.  


Ian has never been comfortable with being the center of attention, ever. 
He would never ask for help. He hasn't asked now. I am doing it for him. 
Believe me, asking for your help is taking all of the courage and vulnerability we can muster. 


With profound respect and hopeful prayers in my heart, I thank you all in advance for your donation. I welcome you to share this request with as many friends as possible, as we join together to help Ian.  Your donation will help lift some of the financial burden during this most difficult time and any amount will be most genuinely appreciated.

thank you.