Grand mal seizure. Large brain tumor discovered. Emergent brain tumor removal surgery. All three of these life-altering events occurred within 32 hours.

Randy Buck is your average middle-aged man. He works hard at his job to provide for his family. He enjoys his hobbies such gaming, playing golf, and riding his motorcycle. He loves time with his friends and family. Honestly, Randy’s life is kinda… well, average. Wash, rinse, repeat if you will.

But, if you were to ask Randy, particularly now, he would say average in the best of ways. A loving and chaotic home with his wife of 23 years, Shannon, his two youngest kids, Sebastian and Madison, and their menagerie of animals, three dogs (Wash, Zoë, and GiGi) and six rabbits (too damn many to name). Time he gets with his oldest daughter, Samantha, spending time together in nature, going on walks and camping. He would tell you about how he loves playing Dungeons & Dragons every Saturday with his close friends and family, and then would bend your ear for as long as you stand there and tell you in detail about all of his character creations. How he adores the time he gets to go golfing with his buddies, and how they call themselves the “Good Enuf Guys” because of just how mediocre they are at the sport. How he loves the open road and the peace it brings him to ride his motorcycle. Let’s not leave out the infamous and ridiculous joy it brings him to rip the deadliest of silent farts and then wait till it hits his first victim. The grin that spreads across his face and the truest of laughter that ensues… he can be such an ass and yet in the most annoying and endearing kinda of way.

This average and amazing life has been put on an indefinite pause since Sunday, March 8th, the day of his seizure. At 3 am that morning, Shannon awoke to Randy kicking her in bed because he was having that grand mal seizure. To Shannon’s credit, she jumped into action and got him on his side to keep him from aspirating on his vomit, called 911 and then nearby family, and made sure he was safe until the seizure was over. The paramedics got him to the ER expeditiously, and he came out of the seizure unscathed. However, due to never having had a seizure before, the hospital ran a battery of tests, including a CT scan. That CT revealed a left-sided meningioma that measured 8.8 cm x 3.5 cm x 3.3 cm (for us Americans, that is roughly 3.5 in x 1.5 in x 1.3 in). In tumor terms, that is big and over an inch deep into the brain is a BIG deal. Doctors informed them that transfer and admittance to a bigger hospital was necessary, as was emergent removal. All of this happened by 9 am.

Randy was transferred to the largest hospital in the area, and he was taken back to surgery at almost noon the next day, Monday. There was a lot of conversation about potential outcomes and what Randy wishes were. A lot of tears and hugs and making sure Randy got to see and talk to the majority of the people he loves most in the world. The surgeon pushed his confidence in the of best possible outcomes, and he expected the surgery to take approximately four-ish hours. He said Randy would go to the ICU for 24 hours after surgery for observation and then get moved back to a regular room. He did say there was potential for needing rehab afterwards, but wouldn’t be able to say for sure until any deficits presented themselves. This is also complicated by the fact that Randy is a brittle diabetic.

The surgery took nine hours. Nine hours that felt like two days. Turned out that the tumor, which Randy had lovingly named “George” by now, was very vascular and it was a very delicate extraction. All-in-all, the surgery went very well, they got every bit of George out that was possible (yes, Randy did ask if he could keep George in a jar and was incredibly sad when it was a staunch NO), and the surgeon was confident that George would not grow back and testing showed that George was benign.

However, there were more severe deficits than anyone, outside of maybe the surgeon, realized there would be. Once Randy was out of surgery and in the ICU, it became apparent very quickly that Randy had lost his ability to speak and his right arm was immobile. Then came the seizures. Small but extremely frequent, only minutes apart. Over the course of nine days in the ICU, Randy had to be flooded with anti-seizure medications, given a feeding tube, had to wear an EEG (this is where they glue electrodes all over your head to monitor your brain waves and seizure activity consistently, anyone who has had a sleep study will know the feeling), and at one point had to be soft restrained to the bed to keep from pulling of the EEG wires and potentially taking out the feeding tubes. He has also been given the unfortunate news that he will not be able to drive, and definitely not ride his motorcycle, until he is 6 months seizure-free. I’m sure you can imagine that went over as well as a lead balloon.

Thankfully, and somewhat ironically, due to the seizures, Randy has very little recollection of the first several days in the ICU. He has had several setbacks, but to his credit, Randy is a fighter. He has made some sort of progress every single day. Sadness, frustration, and anger were definitely some of the feelings he was having when he was finally more lucid and understood his situation. But stubbornness won out, and he has pushed himself to improve. He figured out a way to communicate with his left hand, and eventually, words started to come back. In true Randy fashion, his first five words or so were all curse words to the slight shock and giggles of a few nurses and CNAs. There has been more than one joke made about how he will eventually be a charades and word-association grand champion.

What is going on with Randy now? He graduated from ICU to PCU on March 17th, still with the feeding tube and EEG in place. Over the course of the first several days in PCU he began speaking more words, even a full sentence or two, but still has a long way to go. On March 20th, he had a great session with speech therapy and was cleared for a regular diet; he immediately requested a cheeseburger, and the therapist treated him to some tater tots. One can only imagine how he batted his eyelashes and schmoozed to get those; it never ceases to surprise anyone just how charismatic Randy can be. March 21st was a big day; Randy got the feeding tube removed, the EEG taken off, and was able to stand at bedside with physical therapy a grand total of four times (was immediately exhausted, but a huge win)! The very next day he squeezed the physical therapist’s fingers with his right hand, and everyone cried.

As of yesterday, March 26th, Randy graduated to an inpatient rehabilitation facility 40 minutes away from home. He has been able to tolerate two sessions of physical therapy a day, and they are hoping to get him to three. A small setback also occurred yesterday, some small blood clots were found in his lower legs. He will receive treatment for these, and the doctors feel this is minor, but it does show that he is still in a delicate state. He is still on a very heavy seizure medication regimen and will be for the foreseeable future. As of right now, his expected stay at the rehab facility is three weeks.

So, why this GoFundMe? First and foremost, Randy is the breadwinner for his household. Paid leave through the state of Oregon only goes so far, and it is extremely unclear as to when Randy will be able to return to work full-time. Shannon is self-employed as a birth doula and a nanny, but has stepped away to be with Randy through almost every minute of this as his support, his advocate, and his very scared and exhausted wife. Already, as the majority of us are, the Bucks were living pay-check-to-pay-check with no emergency savings to speak of. Randy is a supervisor in the printing division at Hewlett-Packard, but works through a third-party contractor that doesn’t have the best benefits package. They were struggling before, but this has exploded their whole world.

The goal for this campaign is to raise at least three months of coverage for bills, food, and gas. Shannon will be traveling back and forth to the rehab facility almost daily, and the price of gas currently is not doing her any favors. The hope is that 3 months of covered bills will buy them time to figure out next steps and maybe have a clearer picture of when both of them can get back to work. Every avenue is being explored for help, not just this campaign, but so many people are in need currently that assistance programs are limited. Part of this campaign money will also be going to buy Randy and Shannon a new bed; as you can imagine, they both have some trauma now around what was once a place of comfort and connection for them.

If you cannot contribute financially to this campaign, we humbly ask that you share it far and wide. Tell anyone who will listen, and if you happen to know a multimillionaire who would like to adopt Randy as a philanthropic project, that would be great! Now, here are some heartfelt words from a few of the people who know Randy best:

Randy Reviews

“Five Stars, Would Befriend Again:

Rating: 9.8/10 (deducted 0.2 for stealing my chips)

Opening: Met through mutual friends, stayed for the D&D antics - somehow ended up with one of the most solid, quietly unhinged people I know.

Pros:

- One of the most genuinely caring people out there that will show up for you; may include mild hesitation, several questions will be asked.

- Dark humor that hits like a sneak attack; sometimes inappropriate, always somehow funny (don't tell him that)

- Loyal enough that I’m his #1 draft pick (a title I take very seriously, even if it’s mostly to annoy B, my partner and another Good Enuf Guy.)

Cons:

- Can clear an entire room with a single deviled egg (a level of power that should probably be studied)

- Occasionally says things that make you pause and go, “You really just said that out loud, huh?”

Experience: Whether it’s sitting around a table mid-campaign or just hanging out, he’s the kind of person who makes things feel easy. No pressure, no pretending. Just someone who’s there, steady and real. And when it actually matters, he shows up in a way that sticks with you. That’s rarer than people admit.

Final Verdict: Not loud, not flashy, but somehow one of the best people to have in your corner. A little chaotic, very dependable, and always worth keeping around.” – Coley, Top Ranked Friend and Chosen Family

“Randy is the definition of someone with a heart of gold. He is the kind of guy that will come and help you with house repairs on his day off but will also sneak into your house when you’re not there and put googly eyes on every picture on your walls. Even when he’s teasing you, he is doing it out of love. I hope everybody has a friend like him.” – Matt Jacobs, Good Enuf Guy

“Randy has consistently been the best person I have ever known. Generous with his time, energy, love, and support. Over the last 3 decades, I have witnessed him make selfless, noble choices in support of his family (and found family), regardless of the personal costs. Always striving to keep his head above water financially, while making sure that those around him never wanted for anything they needed. Like all of us, Randy is far from perfect, but he is kind, welcoming, and dependable. Most of all, I am so grateful to have been found worthy of his friendship for all these years” – Levi Mote, Brother-From-Another-Mother

“Randy is one of the funniest, kindest, and most caring people I have ever been lucky enough to have in my life. He is the first person in the room to jump in on a bit and is always there for the people around him, for everything from a hug to remodeling a house. He has put his loved ones before himself for his entire life, and now it is our turn to show him that we are in his court as much as he has been in ours.” – Zander Mote, True Son and Good Enuf Guy

“Randy is the kind of guy that will help you fix what you need before he fixes anything that he might need. Medical bills, medications, and time away from work are adding up, and we want to do everything we can to support him and his family during this difficult time.” – Alice Davis, Chosen Family

“I have known Randy for going on 24 years now, and he is hands-down one of my favorite humans. He is like the older brother who loves to poke you where he knows it’ll hit hardest, but will also be the first to protect you or defend you. He is a lovable asshole in the best of ways. He loves to laugh, and it is contagious. I have had the great privilege of spending a lot of time with Randy throughout this harrowing journey, and we have managed to have several heavy and meaningful conversations. I think for the first time, Randy sees how much he is genuinely loved by those around him, and seeing how it has moved him is not something that I will soon forget. Being his friend and chosen family? 10/10, would recommend.” – Sarah Sharp, Sister-in-Law and Personal Bedside Audiobook