Hi, my name is Katie and I am setting up a go fund me to help support my sister, Kayla and Seth with Cody's passing.

On Sunday, September 13, our family lost Cody.

It is difficult to put into words what the last seven months have looked like for Cody, my sister Kayla, and their family, or how quickly their lives changed.

On February 14, Cody was diagnosed with Stage 4 cancer. They were initially told it was colon cancer, but as doctors learned more, it was believed that the cancer had actually originated in his appendix and had spread to his colon, the peritoneum — the lining of his abdomen — and his lymph nodes.

In a single day, the future they thought they had changed completely.

Two weeks later, on February 28, Cody and Kayla got married.

There was so much uncertainty surrounding them, but there was also so much love. Cancer had already changed the future they had planned, but it wasn't going to take away their chance to become husband and wife. Their marriage was far shorter than anyone could have imagined, but the love and life they shared was so much bigger than those seven months.

From the beginning, everyone knew Cody's diagnosis was serious. But if you knew Cody, you know giving up was never going to be an option for him. He wanted more time.

Over the months that followed, Cody endured hospital stays, procedures, multiple chemotherapy treatments, medications, complications, and more physically than most of us could ever imagine. There were setbacks. There were treatments that stopped working. There were incredibly difficult conversations and devastating news.

And still, Cody kept choosing the next option — somehow doing it all with a smile, an incredible sense of positivity, and the belief that there was always something worth fighting for.

As long as there was something left to try, he wanted to try it. He wasn't ready to leave the life he loved or the people he loved.

Cancer took so much from Cody physically, but it never changed who he was.

Anyone who knew Cody knew that sitting still was never really his thing. He was hardworking, stubborn, resourceful, and always onto the next project, business idea, vehicle, adventure, or plan. If something needed to be built, fixed, figured out, bought, sold, modified, or made better, Cody was probably already thinking about how to do it. He lived big. He loved his family and friends fiercely, could make you laugh when you probably shouldn't have been laughing, and had a personality you didn't forget. There will never be another Cody.

Over those seven months, Kayla's world became Cody's care. Life revolved around treatments, appointments, hospital stays, medications, and doing everything possible to give Cody the opportunity to keep fighting, while still trying to find those little moments where they could simply be husband and wife and a family with Seth.

Those of us who love them watched Cody fight unbelievably hard to stay, and we watched Kayla stay beside him through all of it.

On September 13, Cody's body simply couldn't keep going.

He was 37.

There are no words for how unfair that feels.

Many people in our community have reached out asking what they can do for Kayla and Seth. I've created this GoFundMe for anyone who would like to help support them as they begin navigating a life they never expected to be facing so soon.

Cody had been unable to work since January as his health declined, and for the last several months, Kayla also stepped away from work to care for him full-time. Their lives became centered around Cody's care — treatments, hospital stays, appointments, medications, and simply making sure he was never facing any of it alone.

With Cody unable to work for most of the year, Kayla away from work providing his full-time care, and no life insurance in place, the financial impact of the last several months and the road ahead is significant.

Cody's final arrangements, including his cremation, have been generously taken care of by his dad, Glenn, and Lisa. Our family is incredibly grateful to them for taking care of these costs and lifting that burden from Kayla during an already unimaginable time.

Because of their generosity, donations to this GoFundMe are not being requested for Cody's final arrangements. Instead, anything raised will help give Kayla and Seth some stability in the months ahead as Kayla returns to work, adjusts to a household without Cody's income, and begins figuring out what life looks like from here.

There is absolutely no expectation to donate. A share, a story, a photo, or a memory of Cody is also a beautiful way to honour him. More than anything, I want this page to be about Cody.

He was so much more than the cancer that took him. He was Kayla's husband, Seth's stepdad, a son, a brother, an uncle, a friend, a businessman, a neighbour, and one of the most determined people you could ever meet.

Thirty-seven years wasn't nearly enough.

But Cody filled those years with a whole lot of life, and he will be loved and remembered for the rest of ours.