Answering the Call for One of Our Own: Support Officer Ben Hoang and His Family

He has answered the call for our community. Now it's our turn to answer the call for his family.

As an officer with the Gillette Police Department, Officer Ben Hoang has dedicated his career to serving and protecting our community alongside his K9 partner, Macho. But today, Ben and his family are facing an unimaginable crisis of their own.

Just eight weeks ago, Ben's wife, Kara, underwent emergency thoracic spinal fusion surgery in Aurora, Colorado, after suffering severe spinal cord compression. What should have been a time focused entirely on healing quickly became even more overwhelming as Kara faced the additional hardship of losing her job during her recovery.

Her recovery has required travel between Gillette and Aurora for medical care, with additional trips and follow-up appointments still ahead.

Already facing the physical, emotional, and financial challenges of Kara's recovery, their family was suddenly dealt another devastating blow.

Ben suffered a life-threatening thoracic aortic dissection, a medical emergency involving a tear in the body's largest artery. He was life-flighted to Billings, Montana, where he underwent a 14-hour emergency open-heart surgery. He is currently in intensive care and is facing a serious and uncertain road to recovery.

At this time, there is no clear timeline for when Ben will be able to return home.

Two major medical emergencies. Eight weeks. Five children. Two out-of-state hospitals. One family carrying more than anyone should have to bear alone.

Between lost income, medical expenses, travel, and the everyday responsibilities of raising five children and caring for their beloved pets and K9 Macho, the financial and emotional burdens are overwhelming.

We are organizing this fundraiser to help ease those burdens so Ben and Kara can focus on what matters most: healing, their children, and being together.

For years, Ben has answered the call when our community needed him. Now, it's our turn to answer the call for him.

Whether you're able to donate, share this fundraiser, or simply keep their family in your thoughts and prayers, every gesture of kindness matters.

Let's show Ben, Kara, and their five children what it means to be part of a community that takes care of its own.

It’s our turn to answer the call.

Thank you for your generosity, compassion, and support.