I’m reaching out to all because my family truly needs help right now.

This February 2026—just before his 42nd birthday—my husband, John O’Donnell, was diagnosed Stage IV colorectal cancer. The cancer has aggressively spread to his liver, causing severe damage. This heartbreaking diagnosis and devastating news came after his symptoms were misdiagnosed at his earlier appointments, followed by long delays in scheduling the tests needed to determine the cause of his pain and sudden jaundice.

We are now facing the unimaginable and doing everything we can to give John as much time as possible.

John and I have been married for almost eight years. He is an incredible father to our two boys, Finlay (7) and Murphy (5). Finlay has level 3 autism and depends heavily on us for daily care and support. John is not only essential to our family’s day-to-day life, but he is also deeply loved by so many.

He plays a crucial role caring for our boys—attending therapy appointments with Finlay, helping Murphy grow and learn, fixing things around our home, and working alongside me at the hotel.

As John begins treatment, he will be unable to provide much of the support we depend on as a family. The financial impact of this diagnosis is overwhelming. While I will continue working at a job I love, balancing work, caregiving, and mounting expenses will be incredibly difficult.

Any support would help us cover medical costs, housing and utilities, groceries, fuel and transportation to appointments, and childcare when I need to be by John’s side.

John is one of the most positive, strong, and caring people you could ever meet. His humor and strength carry us through even the hardest days.

We are now connected with an amazing medical team to battle this cancer and together we are committed to fighting for as much time as possible with him.

Thank you so much for your love, support, and kindness—it truly means everything to our family!