“I can’t choose what happens, but I can choose how I react.”

This underpins Kelly’s attitude toward life and cancer. He chooses to react with gratitude and humor. There is rarely a time when Kelly does not have some sort of humorous comment for the nurses and doctors and gratitude to follow that up.

In April 2024, Kelly was diagnosed with kidney cancer. He then underwent hardcore chemo, just a step down from the kind they use for blood cancers, while working more than full time. Kelly loves to work, it’s his hobby as well as how he cares for his family. After the chemo, he had his left kidney removed and shortly after recovering from surgery, went to run a large event. Kelly’s always ready to live the sh*t out of life.

In early 2025, Kelly was diagnosed with bladder cancer and underwent BCG treatment, which was unsuccessful. They then went to another type of chemotherapy, which is still ongoing now on a monthly basis.

In June of 2025, Kelly was affected by an unknown condition that caused constant back pain, to the point where he couldn’t sleep lying down. After more than 6 months of pain and restless nights and searching for answers, we discovered it had to do with a pinched disk and he started getting treatment.

As a result of the still ongoing back condition, Kelly received a scan during a time when he usually wouldn’t have. And a good thing too. Doctors discovered the kidney cancer had come back, metastasized, and was where the kidney used to be. This prompted a new treatment of chemotherapy and immunotherapy and likely radiation. We are, of course, hoping for the best with the treatments, but there are a lot of uncertainties.

This combination treatment has really worn on Kelly. The fatigue, nausea, and other symptoms make it difficult to work, a real blow to what brings him joy. As a major part of the financial support of his family, this is disheartening. We have cleared out our savings on living and treatments.

What we ask is for the means for Kelly to take a break from work. To be able to rest for a couple months, to heal as much as possible, and to focus on treatment and getting well. As someone whose response to adversity is to work harder, work smarter, and pull yourself up, this is a truly difficult ask. But the two years of treatments, pain, sleeplessness, and all the emotional burden that goes with it, has brought us to a point of asking for help.

We, Kelly's daughter and step son, put together this page to support him as we can. The money we are gifted will be used for medical charges not covered by insurance and household bills (rent, gas, utilities etc). Any amount is appreciated and if you aren’t in a position to donate, please share the link.

With much gratitude,

Kelly & his family