<div>Hello, everyone! I am, Mikayla. Randy’s oldest daughter. To begin, I would like to thank everyone for taking the time to read our story even if donations don’t follow suit.
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<div>My father passed Febuary 25th, 2025 after spending 5 whole years battling cancer unmedicated &amp; lost his battle with addiction as well.
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<div>Although Randy isn’t my biological father he is the only dad I’ve ever known. He stayed regardless of the tumultuous family dynamic with my mom that led them both to emotional &amp; physical abuse. He never wanted us to be alone and never let a day pass letting us know we were loved.
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<div>Randy loved fast cars, collecting cool rocks, a beefy steak dinner, and old school cartoons. He was a blue collar man until he retired. Doing anything from construction, oil, gas, &amp; towards the end helping with Billing’s local Food Bank. Not many people understood my dad &amp; thought he was a little silly or reserved, but he was always willing to help the hitchhiker, the mom with her kids, or at the least tell you an unsolicited joke. He LOVED telling jokes.
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<div>From as early as I can remember, my dad found it hard not to talk about his fears about the world around us and finances. He supplemented his depression and stressors with alcohol &amp; drugs. He had been to treatment a couple of times and each time his vice grew stronger and the more lonely he became.
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<div>As time passes on your children get older &amp; start settling roots away from home. Now looking back I wish I had a few more years being closer to him..
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<div>Billings had many painful memories for my sister and I &amp; we always knew we would move on.
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<div>This left my dad to succumb to his loneliness and coping mechanisms. We had been told time and time again not to worry about his cancer as it had been “taken care of. When he was diagnosed around 2018 for lung cancer. I often had friends check in or bring him holiday dinner. As time passed he began to refuse any acts of kindness as he slipped further into his illness.
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<div>Fast forward to now..
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<div>Febuary 21st 2025, I received a voicemail from a doctor 1,500 miles away stating that my father was dropped off by ambulance and was in critical condition. She asked me to make many hard decisions as my dad could no longer speak for himself &amp; stated he had never received the treatment he needed for his pre diagnosed cancer. She noted that it had spread to his liver and lymphatic system. His body was starting to shut down making time very limited.
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<div>With little surviving family on his end &amp; lack of support from my biological family I headed out on a 24 hour straight road trip from Grand Rapids, MI - Billings, MT to get to see my father once they let me know there was no more to be done than make him comfortable.
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<div>My dad carried a lot of guilt and shame about how he carried out the rest of his life making comments the last few years that I didn’t need to travel home, that I could abandon his body, and that if money was tight he would forgive me. That just didn’t seem fair to me &amp; I knew he was trying to be the same caring father he always had been by not wanting me to stress or see him in an unnatural state.
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<div>The Doctors told me that he would not survive the night when I set forth on my journey. They set up FaceTime just in case I could not make it in time. Among many tears and “ sorry’s “ I told him that I loved him and that I was on my way.
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<div>My friend could not let me do this on my own &amp; after many hours of driving and no sleep we arrived to the hospital to say goodbye. My biological family did not believe he deserved kindness in his last moments because addiction is seen as selfishness. I don’t believe anyone should die alone without being told they were loved. I played his favorite songs, shared memories &amp; stories, brushed his hair, &amp; sang to him.I would like to believe he heard me and held on.
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<div>Our nurse was surely destined to take care of us that night. He explained everything in depth &amp; in such an understanding tone. Helped humanize my father by suggesting I put his glasses on one last time. He had asked me what I needed and my response was “ I have no idea what I need..” He sat down with us and stayed till the very last moment. I will never forget the kindness and compassion that was shown to my dad by complete strangers. It was indeed a miracle.
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<div>The following day was filled with many phone calls, stress, &amp; tears trying to find out what was next to come. Upon approaching this journey I was convinced by family there was money my dad left in his trust to cover his cremation just to find out there wasn’t anything left.
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<div>No matter what direction we looked and tried there was nothing more we could do than accept a personal loan from a friend so that I could take my dad home with me. My financial situation does not allow me to comfortably make payments to my friend as I’m already working on settling in to my move. My dad did not want me to stress or be financially torn &amp; I would not like to sever any friendships by not handling this financial responsibility quickly enough. My dads cremation, travel, and car preparation for travel essentially was all made possible by personal loans.
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<div>I went back and forth on whether or not to create this GoFundMe, but with much support from my friends I am here telling my story. There are many more details I can share with those that are curious, but anything helps. I’m truly just thankful for anyone who will read this and hug their family tighter.
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<div>With much love,
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<div>Mikayla &amp; Randy Lewis.
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<div>COST BREAKDOWN: 
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<div>Cremation Costs: $2,096
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<div>Gas: $713.87
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<div>Tires, Oil Change, Lodging: $1,145.52
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<div>( Driving was most cost effective as round trip flights home were over $800 per person.) 
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<div>The remainder of the budget is to cover unpaid time off from work. 
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Support Mikayla in Covering Randy's Cremation Costs

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