Santa got cancer this year

Hi. My name is Jennifer and I’m fundraising for my mom and dad. My dad recently discovered that he has advanced stage 4 metastatic prostate cancer. He had a fall at work, and the mri showed massive bone infiltration. Further scans uncovered tumors in lymph nodes, lungs, kidney, liver, etc. Bone marrow biopsy showed 90% marrow infiltration.

Dad’s cancer turned out to be particularly aggressive. His doctor thought initially they could delay chemo until after Christmas. Dad has been delighting children and families for years portraying Santa. Even in October of this year, his November and December calendar was full of appointments.

Unfortunately, dad’s condition deteriorated rapidly, with multiple hospital stays. We quickly realized he was not in any condition to honor his Santa commitments. We canceled his appointments and started chemo for palliative care. Dad is doing a lot better since starting chemo. He’s regained some mobility and is working hard on his health.

I flew in from Nevada in October to take dad to his bone marrow biopsy appointment…he was going to take an Uber. He is the sole driver in the household. My mother is in need of eye surgery, and cannot see to drive. My 17 year old brother is legally blind, has a seizure disorder, and is on the spectrum. I’ve been providing transport to doctors and managing shopping, managing dad’s affairs and treatment for both him and my brother. I’ve not been home since October, with no idea of when I can go home, as they have no other source of transportation.

Dad typically makes about $20k over the Christmas season with his Santa appearances. He was unable to make that income this year. Additionally, dad had paid into a critical Illness policy at work. We were counting on $10k payout; but the claim was denied. We are appealing.

In the meantime, we’re about to max out the credit cards we’ve been living on and are unsure how to pay rent for the next few months. With dad not working and losing his supplemental Santa income, they cannot continue to live here. We are working on getting my mom and little brother to my house In Nevada. Seems impossible to take dad and transfer his services and doctors and treatments. We are looking at getting him switched to Medicaid and placed in a facility here locally. We don’t want to split up the family, but don’t see an alternative. We need some time to get dad into Medicaid. Get the household packed. Arrangements made at the house in Nevada. I don’t think we can get it done in less than 90-120 days. We are looking for assistance for rent, utilities, and food to sustain them in their home for a few more months while we prepare for the life changing move. Thank you and God bless.