Help for The Rondolet Family in Joe's Cancer Battle

This fundraiser is to support the Rondolet family through their most difficult season. Joe Rondolet, the head of household, is my cousin, but is more like a brother since he lived with our family for a few years after losing his mother at age 14.

Joe left our family home at age 16 and has been pursuing his own path ever since. We lost track of him for many years, always praying he was okay and hoping for news of him. When we finally reconnected, we learned he had an absolutely wonderful wife and family and Joe had made a career for himself in real estate. More recently, he and his wife Angie started a glass-bottle milk home delivery business that has grown and expanded over the years. As entrepreneurs, they work hard to operate their business, requiring much more than can be accomplished during normal business hours. They pride themselves on delivering great quality products and providing excellent customer service.

About six years ago, Joe was diagnosed with cancer. Since that time, he has developed four different cancers, endured aggressive treatments and several surgeries, and done his best to keep the alternative treatment regimens Angie has diligently researched and provided for him. They have had years of the ups and downs that come with cancer treatment...sometimes feeling filled with hope as scans showed improvements and sometimes coping with the devastation and despair that comes with learning a new tumor has appeared or an existing one has grown.

Joe's kidneys, liver, colon, skin, and eyes have all been impacted by this awful disease. There have been long periods when he was not able to help run the business, leaving Angie to pack trucks, drive delivery routes, deal with disabled vehicles and employees moving on to new opportunities while still caring for her husband, her elderly mother with dementia, and her two growing children. It has been a very long, very expensive, and very challenging journey. Now, they have been told by two separate hospitals that there is no more that can be done for Joe and he has been advised to begin hospice care with a very poor prognosis.

Angie still has all of the responsibilities mentioned above, now with the overwhelming task of working with hospice to navigate end of life decisions and figure out what life looks like without the love of her life. It is a devastating moment for this family. Navigating grief while trying to recover from the financial drain of a long cancer battle is overwhelming on its own. Trying to operate a business under those conditions is almost unthinkable.

This very special, loving family has done all they can to be self-sufficient and strong. Now, they need assistance. Your contribution at this moment would help them pay past medical bills and keep their household running after losing their head of household. I'm asking for contributions in any amount your heart guides as you contemplate what daily life is like for them, what they have been through, and what they will be facing in the future. I could tug on your heart strings with more detail, but this picture provides what is needed without invading the family's desire for privacy and dignity. If you have ever been through the loss of a loved one - especially by cancer - it should be more than enough.

Funds raised here will be provided directly to the family. I urge you to take a moment to contemplate this story, offer a prayer on their behalf, and contribute to much-needed relief. Your words of encouragement, comfort, and support here will reach the family promptly. Thank you from the depths of my soul for reading this far.