It breaks my heart that I am having to write this today. I need to ask for help for someone who has helped me throughout his life, and treated me and my sister Alice as if we were his own. William Clark came into our lives when I was four years old. My parents had recently divorced, and one of my mother's friends set up a blind date for my mom with William. My mom loves to tell the story of that first date, and how within an hour of it starting William telling her was going to marry her some day. She thought he was CRAZY!!!
Evidently, she liked crazy, because he was right. They were married a few months later, and as soon as William met me and my older sister Alice, he treated us like we were his own children, even when we resisted. A few years later, he and my mother were blessed with a child of their own - my little sister Cate Clark. William never treated her any differently than me and Alice. To him, we were all the same. He feels the same way about his six grandchildren. My children have no idea that he is a "step" grandfather. They just know him as Pa, and they know that their Pa loves them.
I remember giving him a card on Father's Day in 2001. This was the day after Erin and I got married. The card had a picture of a father holding a little boy up in the air, and read, "Thank you for raising me up, and never letting me down." I also remember seeing the tears in his eyes when he read it.
His love for my mother and hers in return has always been an inspiration for our entire family. William has been recently diagnosed with Sarcoma - a very aggressive cancer. My mother is devastated that this is happening to the love of her life, and our entire family is in shock over the situation.
This situation has also caused them to struggle financially. When I first suggested setting up a GoFundMe account, my mother seemed against it. I told her that many people out there want to help in any way possible, and besides praying (which we are asking for more than anything else), many people would want to help out financially.
The morning after I suggested it, my mother said that through prayer and the scripture she read that morning, she thought that God was telling her that it is OK to ask for help. I asked her to write up a statement regarding what is happening to William. Here is what she wrote:
"In early March of this year, my husband was diagnosed with a stage 4 sarcoma, a rare and very aggressive cancer which attacks soft tissue. At the time of diagnosis, the tumor had already surrounded the right kidney, adrenal gland and a large portion of the liver. There were no red flags to suggest that cancerous cells were growing in his abdomen before he had gained 8 lbs. with no apparent reason.
This tumor constantly produces fluid containing more cancer cells. When this fluid builds up, it displaces organs and leaks fluid into the lungs, making it extremely difficult to breathe. The most appalling incident I have witnessed is seeing my husband almost suffocating and the associated panic in his eyes.
To give him the ability to breathe, this fluid must be drained at least once a week. Since we knew how much we had in savings, we were dismayed to learn that our copay for this procedure would be $460. The next day, we took our car for a routine oil change only to learn that four new tires were necessary at a cost of $800. At that moment, I just threw up my hands and said, “God we are totally in Your hands. You know our financial situation and You know our needs. I have NO idea how You will take care of this, but I trust You completely.
At the time of this writing, my husband has home oxygen, but continues to need fluid drained weekly to breathe. After consulting a sarcoma specialist at Emory, as a palliative measure, my husband is receiving a series of radiation treatments which hopefully will reduce the size of the tumor thereby reducing the amount of fluid produced. In the next couple of weeks, he will also begin chemo which may kill some of the cancer cells being produced by the “mother” tumor. For these treatments we drive daily to Athens, about 50 miles there and back.
We are taking these steps in an effort to provide him with quality of life while extending his life expectancy. We are firm in our conviction that God will heal…perhaps not here on earth, but certainly in heaven.
Whether you feel led to contribute to this fund or not, we ask that you pray for our family. As Christians, we are called to bear one another’s burdens, and the sweetest sound in God’s ears is the sound of one soul praying for another."
Thank you so much for taking the time to read this. We really appreciate your love, support, and prayers for our family at this time.
Evidently, she liked crazy, because he was right. They were married a few months later, and as soon as William met me and my older sister Alice, he treated us like we were his own children, even when we resisted. A few years later, he and my mother were blessed with a child of their own - my little sister Cate Clark. William never treated her any differently than me and Alice. To him, we were all the same. He feels the same way about his six grandchildren. My children have no idea that he is a "step" grandfather. They just know him as Pa, and they know that their Pa loves them.
I remember giving him a card on Father's Day in 2001. This was the day after Erin and I got married. The card had a picture of a father holding a little boy up in the air, and read, "Thank you for raising me up, and never letting me down." I also remember seeing the tears in his eyes when he read it.
His love for my mother and hers in return has always been an inspiration for our entire family. William has been recently diagnosed with Sarcoma - a very aggressive cancer. My mother is devastated that this is happening to the love of her life, and our entire family is in shock over the situation.
This situation has also caused them to struggle financially. When I first suggested setting up a GoFundMe account, my mother seemed against it. I told her that many people out there want to help in any way possible, and besides praying (which we are asking for more than anything else), many people would want to help out financially.
The morning after I suggested it, my mother said that through prayer and the scripture she read that morning, she thought that God was telling her that it is OK to ask for help. I asked her to write up a statement regarding what is happening to William. Here is what she wrote:
"In early March of this year, my husband was diagnosed with a stage 4 sarcoma, a rare and very aggressive cancer which attacks soft tissue. At the time of diagnosis, the tumor had already surrounded the right kidney, adrenal gland and a large portion of the liver. There were no red flags to suggest that cancerous cells were growing in his abdomen before he had gained 8 lbs. with no apparent reason.
This tumor constantly produces fluid containing more cancer cells. When this fluid builds up, it displaces organs and leaks fluid into the lungs, making it extremely difficult to breathe. The most appalling incident I have witnessed is seeing my husband almost suffocating and the associated panic in his eyes.
To give him the ability to breathe, this fluid must be drained at least once a week. Since we knew how much we had in savings, we were dismayed to learn that our copay for this procedure would be $460. The next day, we took our car for a routine oil change only to learn that four new tires were necessary at a cost of $800. At that moment, I just threw up my hands and said, “God we are totally in Your hands. You know our financial situation and You know our needs. I have NO idea how You will take care of this, but I trust You completely.
At the time of this writing, my husband has home oxygen, but continues to need fluid drained weekly to breathe. After consulting a sarcoma specialist at Emory, as a palliative measure, my husband is receiving a series of radiation treatments which hopefully will reduce the size of the tumor thereby reducing the amount of fluid produced. In the next couple of weeks, he will also begin chemo which may kill some of the cancer cells being produced by the “mother” tumor. For these treatments we drive daily to Athens, about 50 miles there and back.
We are taking these steps in an effort to provide him with quality of life while extending his life expectancy. We are firm in our conviction that God will heal…perhaps not here on earth, but certainly in heaven.
Whether you feel led to contribute to this fund or not, we ask that you pray for our family. As Christians, we are called to bear one another’s burdens, and the sweetest sound in God’s ears is the sound of one soul praying for another."
Thank you so much for taking the time to read this. We really appreciate your love, support, and prayers for our family at this time.