Hello Beautiful People! My name is Kathleen Rau Tolley and I'm desperately seeking help with my husbands medical bills. He has just been diagnosed for the second time in 2 years with colon cancer. Because the tumor has grown so quickly, and aggressively, his entire colon is being removed in 11 days. He will be out of work for up to two months recovering (if all goes well). We won't know if he will need additional chemotherapy afterwards until the reports on the biopsies, taken during surgery, return. Chemo almost killed him 2 years ago. His body actually rejected the chemo port, causing him severe pain. My husband is 60 years old, is self-employed, and works alone. He has owned a powder-coating business in our area for 28 years. He has steady work from several large companies. However, he could lose his work with them, if they have to find another powder-coater to do business with in the meantime. Some will continue to work with us in hopes he recovers quickly. He's currently working many overtime hours to try to compensate for some of his time away. He also has a new health insurance company as of the first of the year. We fear they may cancel on us, due to this being a pre-existing condition. Either way, his deductibles are extremely high, just so that we could find coverage we can still barely afford. His old insurance was going to cost us over $2000.00 a month, and even with our combined income, we barely make over $3200.00.

My husband grew up on a dairy farm in a tiny town, without so much as a stoplight, in central rural Wisconsin. He had to milk cows twice daily, work the farm planting and harvesting corn and hay, and also keep up with his studies. He was not eligible for military service due to being born with deformed feet, requiring braces and reversed shoes as a child. As most farmers did in the 70's and 80's, his father used substantial amounts of Round-Up insecticide, as well as other poisons of the day, not knowing the risks we know today. His father died in his late 50's from brain cancer. His mother developed early onset Alzheimer's as well as brain and lung cancer. Additionally, his sister had Leukemia in her late 20's, and still has severe health issues of her own.

I am of little assistance since I am 69 years old and have been fully disabled since 2001. I have my own issues, having had 5 hand surgeries in the past year and a half, and have another to face in a few months. I cannot afford to even go to physical therapy for my hand. It's my right, and dominant hand, and it's almost totally useless. My medications alone run me close to $400.00 a month, even with part D Medicare.

We have been seriously financially stressed since his colon cancer treatments a year and a half ago (radiation and chemotherapy). In his shop, he has had to replace his main compressor, the buildings heater, his forklift, and work truck all in the meantime. All of his equipment is old, and we're simply just trying to limp it through until he can retire in five years. Band-aids only go so far, and even used industrial equipment is grossly expensive in today's market. Our savings is GONE.

Both of us have always been hard working, law abiding, good tax paying citizens, and we just need a break. Between us, we've lost three parents in the last 2 years, and none had a penny to pass along. We have only each other, and he has had to carry my weight now for over two decades. He's a man of honor and principle. The thought of even trying fundraising has stressed his pride past it's limit.

A little over 2 years ago, I opened a small retail gift store on our own property, in the same building as my husbands powder coating business. It was always meant to provide me with something I could do to stay busy, and not as a means of support for us. I take very little in as far as profit, and have reinvested every penny in inventory to please the few customers we have. Our hope is to build it up enough to help subsidize our Social Security incomes, once he retires and we pay off our 100+ year old house (in need of many repairs). The store has a good reputation and steady, but low dollar sales, mostly because it is a gift store, and not necessities store. We live in a small city of just a few over 10,000 so business will never be excessively profitable.

I know there are many in need of assistance for medical bills, emergencies, and other needs, and we're ALL fighting to survive in an angry world. But, I'm down on my knees praying for some relief. I'll be 70 this year, and we're both simply exhausted right now. If you can help in any way, even just $1.00 from many will be a blessing.

May 2025 be a year we can all feel good about! Thank You!!