Many of you have heard that The Chandler family is fighting for their beloved Scots' life; here is an update for those who haven’t yet heard the devastating news. In July of last year, Angela Chandler, the owner of the Balsam Lake Café, found out that her husband of 26 years, the father of their 3 children, was diagnosed with terminal liver cancer. The prognosis from the start wasn’t promising, the cancer was too advanced to be removed, and he did not qualify for chemotherapy. Radiation was thought to be their only hope of buying time. Two weeks before the devastating news of her husband’s cancer, she discovered that her elite, nationally ranked 15-year-old daughter needed a spinal fusion. The staff at the Balsam Lake Café and friends jumped into action to help our leader tackle the overwhelming financial and emotional strain of the upcoming days with her family. We through a benefit within 3 weeks and were able to raise the money to get her daughter the surgery and recovery time needed. Madyson is now well on the road to regaining her strength after a successful surgery and recovery. We cannot thank the community enough for rallying at such short notice to help such a deserving family!

Fast forward to the end of January, and Scot is living with horrible pain in his abdomen and struggles to breathe. They went back to the doctor with hopes of relieving some of his pain, at the very least. The news they were given was heart-wrenching; Scot was given roughly 8 weeks to live. The radiation hadn’t worked. The tumor was growing rapidly and aggressively. His liver now starts under his ribcage and goes into his pelvis, which explains his pain. The family was resigned to providing him with whatever quality of life they could for his remaining time.

In a last attempt at hope, Angela made an appointment with the Mayo Clinic. It was a turbulent few days, but the end result was worth it. Hope was restored. The Mayo Clinic was honest with them in the fact that the cancer cannot be cured but that they had options to prolong life and relieve some pain! This is such a blessing! Now the next hurdle is affording these new treatments. It's no secret to anyone who lives locally to Balsam Lake, Wisconsin, that it has been a tough winter season. Tougher still for the Chandler family with medical bills, Café bills, and just life bills mounting. She is now faced with covering the cost of hope for time with her husband. It's impossible to put a price on what a day costs with a loved one, but the hospitals sure have it down to a science. Please join us in helping this family have as many days with each other as possible by donating to this GoFundMe and sharing the link anywhere you can!