Hello everyone – Some of you may already have heard, but for those who haven't... recent events in the Bishop household have reminded us just how blessed we are to know each and every one of you. And so to start, we just want to say how much we love you guys, and thank you for being such a blessing in our lives and to our family. ALL our families – our relatives, nearby and distant, who we love and miss so much; our Beach Family – we miss you guys like crazy, life isn’t the same without you; our Ocala Family – thank you guys for welcoming us with open arms and hearts as brothers and sisters in Christ, you’ve been such a blessing to us; our Music Family – people we’ve had the honor and privilege to share stages with across New England, every single one of you. Having played countless shows over 30+ years – weddings, parties, holidays, celebrations of life - it’s been such an amazing time. Looking back at all the special events we’ve done, fundraisers, benefits for our friends with cancer, sickness, disabilities, struggles through Covid, people facing the hardest times of their lives – Band Mates, we’ve done it together! To help ease the burden and bring a few moments of joy when they needed it most. And now today, we find ourselves on the other side of that table and need to ask for your prayers and a little help.

About 2 months ago, Norman woke up with a lump on his neck. After about a week of watching it persist, we went to urgent care. They ran him through an antibiotic cycle, an ultrasound and a CT scan, but the medicine did nothing and tests results were inconclusive. At that point, we were referred to an ENT, where they did another round of medication (didn't work), an upper endoscopy, and a microneedle biopsy, which revealed malignant cells suspected to be squamous cell carcinoma (cancer). Following the biopsy, we did a PET scan to see where the cancer originated from and it was determined it started in a small 2 cm area on the left side of the base of the tongue, and had spread to the left lymph node near the jugular, which presented as the mass on his neck. Thankfully - it has not spread any further than the lymph node: thyroid, lungs, heart, other lymph nodes, everywhere else is clear – praise God. On 8/4 we went for a surgical biopsy of the back of the tongue to determine the particular type of cancer, staging, and a treatment plan. The procedure was successful and at the post-op appointment the doctor confirmed it is P16+, which means it is highly sensitive to radiation, and we caught it early. The next step is a consultation with our radiation oncologist on 8/17 and treatment 5 days a week for 6-7 weeks. The goal: be cancer-free by Thanksgiving!

As you can imagine, the medical bills have stacked up to this point for the testing, biopsies, surgery, etc. and we find ourselves underwater. IF it’s on your heart to help, and only IF you can, we would be deeply appreciative of any support you can offer to set us back afloat. Again, please don’t feel obligated, we know times are tough. But we’ve been asked by those closest to us to do a Go Fund Me for this so the option is there for people who can and want to help.

Lastly and most importantly, if you’re a believer, please pray for us. We know that the prayer of the faithful to the Faithful One works and we know that everything can be made new and good for the glory of God, and we trust in Him. We pray that each one of you is blessed in every need and we pray peace to your homes. We love you guys so much – thanks for taking the time to read through this. Thank you – The Bishops

“And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven.” - James 5:15