Hello friends and family,

This is Judy Parker, still in Forrest City, AR

We are all so very spread out on this planet in so many countries and so many of you keep asking what you can do for Randall and his family. So, here is your answer:

We started this journey back in 2014 when Randall was diagnosed with a small, simple tumor requiring a simple surgery. We were even told the statistics --- less than 1% with this type of cancer ever has any follow-up issues...But, we were that 1%. The funds raised here will be used solely to pay for medical expenses from the current and past years of battling this disease along with life changes made necessary because of it.

SECOND ROUND

The follow-up tests were always just a little off, so we just kept looking. After multiple trips to the doctor, because we knew something just wasn't quite right, finally, the oncologist in Las Ves did a head-to-toe physical exam and found a lump just above the right shoulder blade that was just sitting there hiding and growing. The biopsy confirmed what we feared. The cancer had spread to the lymphatic system and had become more aggressive. We called all our prayer warriors to start the battle, and then we immediately began Chemo---4 long months of chemo.

Now here comes a twist in the story...

We finished the Chemo and God called Dr. Vogelzang, my oncologist, home. Our main oncologist, the doctor who talked us through years of questions---God Just calls him home.

Now let that sink in for a moment...The physician passed away.

From all we knew about him and the multiple conversations we had with him, he was a man of God that served our savior well, and God called him home. Talk about God putting a period at the end of the sentence.

ROUND THREE.

Randall still has the house in Knoxville, TN, and so he returned there and was getting some work done on the property while he stayed with a friend in town. Early this year, a new mass appeared just below the collarbone. It was not in the same place as the lump from last time, but it was painful and we knew it was a problem. Since he was already in Tennessee, Randall sought a surgeon to remove the lump and send it for testing. The surgery went well, and the pathology report did come back clear of cancer. However, the oncologist ran a second test, where he found a growth in the adrenal gland. So we already knew round three had started…but we still knew that God was in control.

A few weeks after that surgery, Randall had finished his day, taken a hot shower and was trying to do some reading. Immediately, he realized there was a major problem. He couldn’t read. He knew the words. He knew the letters. He just couldn’t seem to get them to fit together. So he got up, drove himself to the University of Tennessee hospital, and checked in. The nurses quickly realized it was serious, and took him upstairs, thinking he was having or had a stroke. They immediately prepared him for tests to figure out what was going on. Then, the proverbial hammer fell. There were tumors in his brain and they were bleeding. Randall was instructed to call his wife, Renee and me. The next few days were very difficult for all of us. Doctors began radiation to get the brain tumors under control. After further scans and tests, more cancerous spots were found in his lungs, but the decision was made to aggressively attack the brain tumors and then deal with the spots in the lungs and the adrenal tumor.

Thus far, he has had two cycles of radiation plus a booster dose. The plan calls for five rounds of chemotherapy and he has just finished his second round. His wife, Anisabel, must bounce between Las Vegas, Nevada and Knoxville, Tennessee and has somehow been blessed with enough energy to take care of both.

Some of you went to church with Randall, maybe you sang in the choir with him. Maybe you were in one of the youth groups he taught or perhaps an Old Testament theology class together. You may be one of the people that sold timeshares with him over the last 20 years at various companies. Maybe you robbed banks together, or maybe you knew him in a part of his life that Jesus wasn't so easy to see. But if you know him and you want to help him, this is a critical time for him and Anisabel. They would greatly appreciate anything you can do.

And, if you’re wondering after all these years, how a person needs help paying for illnesses like this when surely he has insurance. However, chemotherapy can run $2500 a day. Radiation starts in the $12,000 per day range. And the surgery to remove the tumors will easily end up costing in excess of $80,000. We do have insurance, but we still have deductibles and minimum amounts that must be paid out of pocket, and those amounts start over every year. If you fight this battle for more than two years, it can take everything you have and require that you borrow every dollar that you can. Anisabel is off work on FMLA which allows her to keep the insurance they have, but doesn't allow her to make any income. Right now, because of the intensity of his treatments, he cannot be left alone so she is staying with him in Knoxville, Tennessee. He should have been approved immediately for disability because of a Stage 4 Cancer diagnosis. But, after 3 months of dealing with Social Security, his disability still has not been approved.

They have exhausted every visible option open to them. So, now, we turn to our friends and family and even friends of our family members. We have been in this storm for 2 years and we are truly running on fumes. But, our faith has not waivered and we know that our God is bigger than this storm. If you can help in any way, we pray God's richest blessings on you and your family.