Support Brandi and Cooper After Doug's Passing

On September 10th, a day he would have been celebrating his son's 5th birthday, my brother-in-law, Douglas Barrick passed away at Hampden Medical Center. Doug battled Stage IV kidney cancer for over seven years so when my sister called that Tuesday to tell me they were heading back to the hospital again, we all thought it was the standard routine, get him stabilized and then send him home again until the next set back. This time was different and his body just could not fight any longer. Doug did not come home from this hospital trip.

Doug was a loving father, husband, brother, soldier and friend to many. He served his country in the US Army as a Heavy Anti-Armor Infantryman. Doug approached his cancer with the same tenacity he fought for his country, with vigor and courage. When he was first diagnosed after the removal of a mass on his kidney in 2017, we all thought he had reached the best possible outcome...NED (No Evidence of Disease). Unfortunately, a blood clot formed and pushed cancer cells into his lungs. With Brandi by his side advocating for his treatments, Doug tried everything he could to fight. He had IV infusions, oral medications, several surgeries and last year he had a feeding tube placed to help with his nutritional needs as he continued to fight. His treatment options had become so limited and the only thing left was to try to radiate some of the tumors in an effort to combat this awful disease.

Doug spent five weeks traveling to John Hopkins Medical Center and stayed at the Hope Lodge while he received 25 rounds of radiation. This final attempt to fight these tumors had weakened his body and he just didn't have the strength to fight anymore. He fought this battle like the strong soldier he was, but on his son's birthday he couldn't fight any longer.

As you can imagine the medical expenses alone over the last 7 years have been depleting for their family. Now Brandi is facing the additional costs of funeral expenses and managing the needs of her son by herself. I am reaching out to help provide her some breathing room so she and Cooper will have a chance to catch up financially from their journey and heal emotionally from this great loss, without the fear of financial stress.

Any donation is greatly appreciated to help my sister and her son recover after this long battle. Your assistance will give her the peace of mind to breathe so she is able to help her son grieve the loss of his father. Thank you for your support and generosity to help her heal.