- V
Hello, all. This has been one hell of a year for the Parker family, and it’s not over yet. The last 6 months have been full of shocking news, misfortune, and tragedy - their story sounds unbelievable, even to us.
May of last year, Bradley finally retired at the age of 69 and sold his family business. For over 40 years, he ran this business with his wife, Michelle, and supported 5 children the whole time. Once sold, the process of selling their home began. In no time, the house was sold, and Brad and Michelle were packing up their home of 40 years, preparing to move to a beautiful bungalow in the Blue Ridge Mountains.
These plans came to a screeching halt when, just before Thanksgiving, Bradley was sent to the hospital via ambulance for shortness of breath. This fateful day would be the start of a long and exhausting string of hospital and specialist visits. Barely 6 months after retiring at the age of 69, Brad received a harrowing diagnosis, leaving family and friends shaken. Strong-willed and remaining positive, the Parker family pressed on, doing everything they could to support one another and make these dreams of living in the Blue Ridge a reality. After all, the business was sold, and contracts were signed for the sale of the house - move-out day was February 1st. They really did not have much of a choice.
Fast forward to Christmas Eve in Orlando, not quite a month after Brad’s diagnosis, and still recovering. Michelle wakes up, eager for a normal and exciting holiday with her family. This did not come, as her daughter fought to take her straight to the emergency room. She was jaundiced, sluggish, and sick.
On Christmas Day, Michelle was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, and promptly admitted into the hospital. A punch in the gut, to say the least. No income, no home, no health insurance, and now two devastating diagnoses. Why was this happening? How could this be real?
The world keeps spinning. January was comprised of packing up a house, hospital and specialist visits, scans, tests, and medication titration. With the support of their children and friends, they managed to be out of the house and moving into a tiny 2-1 apartment in Apopka, where Michelle’s cancer team would be. This would be home for the next year. The day after they moved in, Michelle would begin her first chemotherapy treatment.
Bradley was surrounded by hospital walls more than his own apartment during the month of February. By March, hospice care was implemented for him. The following weeks were a whirlwind of chemo, medications, declining health for Bradley and Michelle, and insurmountable grief for the family.
In the early morning of the 28th of April, Bradley’s suffering had ended. He died peacefully in his sleep, leaving behind a legacy of a loving family, now broken.
Through this grief, Michelle would be enduring her 6th and, hopefully, final chemo transfusion, before her big surgery next month. If you have the stomach, look up what a “Whipple Procedure” is; if you don’t, just know it is a marvel of modern medicine, and a VERY intense surgery, requiring lots of recovery time. However, this procedure could potentially completely CURE her of her cancer. We are all keeping our fingers crossed, and remaining as positive as possible.
If you made it this far, thank you. The Parker’s are a strong group of go-getters and fighters, and always exhaust their options before reaching out for help from outsiders. From funeral costs, medical bills, lack of income, and now disability, on top of the emotional turmoil of the last several months, the Parker’s could certainly use any extra support they can get. Any donation at all can help, and if you can’t donate, that’s more than ok. All we ask is for positive thoughts, prayers, energy, anything.
Thank you so much for your time. Let’s help get the Parkers back on their feet again.
May of last year, Bradley finally retired at the age of 69 and sold his family business. For over 40 years, he ran this business with his wife, Michelle, and supported 5 children the whole time. Once sold, the process of selling their home began. In no time, the house was sold, and Brad and Michelle were packing up their home of 40 years, preparing to move to a beautiful bungalow in the Blue Ridge Mountains.
These plans came to a screeching halt when, just before Thanksgiving, Bradley was sent to the hospital via ambulance for shortness of breath. This fateful day would be the start of a long and exhausting string of hospital and specialist visits. Barely 6 months after retiring at the age of 69, Brad received a harrowing diagnosis, leaving family and friends shaken. Strong-willed and remaining positive, the Parker family pressed on, doing everything they could to support one another and make these dreams of living in the Blue Ridge a reality. After all, the business was sold, and contracts were signed for the sale of the house - move-out day was February 1st. They really did not have much of a choice.
Fast forward to Christmas Eve in Orlando, not quite a month after Brad’s diagnosis, and still recovering. Michelle wakes up, eager for a normal and exciting holiday with her family. This did not come, as her daughter fought to take her straight to the emergency room. She was jaundiced, sluggish, and sick.
On Christmas Day, Michelle was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, and promptly admitted into the hospital. A punch in the gut, to say the least. No income, no home, no health insurance, and now two devastating diagnoses. Why was this happening? How could this be real?
The world keeps spinning. January was comprised of packing up a house, hospital and specialist visits, scans, tests, and medication titration. With the support of their children and friends, they managed to be out of the house and moving into a tiny 2-1 apartment in Apopka, where Michelle’s cancer team would be. This would be home for the next year. The day after they moved in, Michelle would begin her first chemotherapy treatment.
Bradley was surrounded by hospital walls more than his own apartment during the month of February. By March, hospice care was implemented for him. The following weeks were a whirlwind of chemo, medications, declining health for Bradley and Michelle, and insurmountable grief for the family.
In the early morning of the 28th of April, Bradley’s suffering had ended. He died peacefully in his sleep, leaving behind a legacy of a loving family, now broken.
Through this grief, Michelle would be enduring her 6th and, hopefully, final chemo transfusion, before her big surgery next month. If you have the stomach, look up what a “Whipple Procedure” is; if you don’t, just know it is a marvel of modern medicine, and a VERY intense surgery, requiring lots of recovery time. However, this procedure could potentially completely CURE her of her cancer. We are all keeping our fingers crossed, and remaining as positive as possible.
If you made it this far, thank you. The Parker’s are a strong group of go-getters and fighters, and always exhaust their options before reaching out for help from outsiders. From funeral costs, medical bills, lack of income, and now disability, on top of the emotional turmoil of the last several months, the Parker’s could certainly use any extra support they can get. Any donation at all can help, and if you can’t donate, that’s more than ok. All we ask is for positive thoughts, prayers, energy, anything.
Thank you so much for your time. Let’s help get the Parkers back on their feet again.