Ray's Kick Cancer Mission: Underway
Donation protected
Hello, and thank you for taking the time to follow the link and read my family's story. My name is Rebecca, and I've created this campaign for my father, Ray Wilcox. For twenty years, he devoted his life to protecting and fighting for his country in the United States Army.
During these years, he changed the lives of many of his soldiers, some who have even remained in contact with him. Moreover, after retiring from the Army in 2005, my father struggled with adjusting to the civilian way of life, and became a private contractor. His new job required him to spend the majority of the last ten years overseas, in Pakistan, Cuba, Iraq but mostly Afghanistan.
While here, he not only missed birthdays, Christmases, anniversaries, sporting and school events for all three of his daughters, but his body was consistently exposed to harmful toxins given the poor air and water quality. Consequently, on May 4, 2015, he was rushed to the hospital on Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan. After almost a week there, many tests, and four blood transfusions, he was medevaced to Landstuhl Medical Regional Center in Germany. There, it was determined that he is suffering from various forms of cancer, that have begun to attack his lungs, stomach, pancreas and bone.
On May 14, 2015 he tenaciously arrived home, in time to cheer me on while walking the stage in completion of my undergraduate studies. Mind you, he had been in Afghanistan since March 18, 2014. We are ready and willing to tackle this obstacle together, as there are many things our family has already had to endure. My father is perhaps the strongest man I know, and he will be giving his all to walk beside God and beat this!
My family is not one to ask for much, especially my father, who's pride will be affected when he sees this post, however my sisters and I are unable to support our parents in the financial aspect of all that has already happened and what still lies ahead. Having just graduated college myself, and my two younger sisters continuing their education, the funds are not available to replace what my father's income provided...even with our incomes combined. Given the extent of his sickness, he and my mother will both be out of any sort of work for an unknown amount of time, and have tuitions, a hefty mortgage and other unavoidable bills that will soon be clouding my father's positive outlook (which for anyone who has been touched in some way by this illness knows is critical he keeps).
My family will never have enough 'thank you's' for the endless support and prayers we have received from family, friends, colleagues, community members and even strangers. Nonetheless, I feel that it is my duty to do everything in my power to help comfort my parents, especially my father...unfortunately that is limited. My parents are looking to pay down their mortgage in order to sell the only home we've poured blood, sweat and tears into upon moving to upstate New York, for something smaller and more affordable. Although the military has provided him with good health insurance, it will not cover all medical costs that will accrue.
We are blessed to have Roswell Park Cancer Institute essentially in our backyard, however must travel over an hour one way many times a week, which is becoming too painful for my father. Therefore, we find ourselves staying in hotels, or my sisters and I making the trip each day to meet him and my mother to attend his appointments. It is likely that he will have surgery in the near future, and will then receive the planned most aggressive form of chemotherapy three times a week every other week.
As mentioned before, endless gratitude and thanks from my entire family for all support and prayers, and I personally will be forever indebted to anyone that is able to make any amount of donation both monetary and/or in prayer in the future. My father is the strongest man that I have ever known, a loyal and loving husband and father, and even having nothing would still give the shirt off his own back to absolutely anyone in need. Regardless of the current situation and the amount of pain he is constantly in, he remains in good spirits and always manages to keep a smile on our faces.
I can't understand why this is happening to our family, especially having him just return home after fourteen long and weary months away. However, I know that God does not give his soldiers more than they can handle. Ray Wilcox is forever a soldier, and "Mission: Kick Cancer" is underway. He is not one who leaves anything started unfinished, and I have all the faith in the world that he will beat this. I pray that with your help, we are able to provide him the comfort and relief that the doctors cannot. Thank you beyond words in advance, and may the Lord bless you and keep you.
During these years, he changed the lives of many of his soldiers, some who have even remained in contact with him. Moreover, after retiring from the Army in 2005, my father struggled with adjusting to the civilian way of life, and became a private contractor. His new job required him to spend the majority of the last ten years overseas, in Pakistan, Cuba, Iraq but mostly Afghanistan.
While here, he not only missed birthdays, Christmases, anniversaries, sporting and school events for all three of his daughters, but his body was consistently exposed to harmful toxins given the poor air and water quality. Consequently, on May 4, 2015, he was rushed to the hospital on Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan. After almost a week there, many tests, and four blood transfusions, he was medevaced to Landstuhl Medical Regional Center in Germany. There, it was determined that he is suffering from various forms of cancer, that have begun to attack his lungs, stomach, pancreas and bone.
On May 14, 2015 he tenaciously arrived home, in time to cheer me on while walking the stage in completion of my undergraduate studies. Mind you, he had been in Afghanistan since March 18, 2014. We are ready and willing to tackle this obstacle together, as there are many things our family has already had to endure. My father is perhaps the strongest man I know, and he will be giving his all to walk beside God and beat this!
My family is not one to ask for much, especially my father, who's pride will be affected when he sees this post, however my sisters and I are unable to support our parents in the financial aspect of all that has already happened and what still lies ahead. Having just graduated college myself, and my two younger sisters continuing their education, the funds are not available to replace what my father's income provided...even with our incomes combined. Given the extent of his sickness, he and my mother will both be out of any sort of work for an unknown amount of time, and have tuitions, a hefty mortgage and other unavoidable bills that will soon be clouding my father's positive outlook (which for anyone who has been touched in some way by this illness knows is critical he keeps).
My family will never have enough 'thank you's' for the endless support and prayers we have received from family, friends, colleagues, community members and even strangers. Nonetheless, I feel that it is my duty to do everything in my power to help comfort my parents, especially my father...unfortunately that is limited. My parents are looking to pay down their mortgage in order to sell the only home we've poured blood, sweat and tears into upon moving to upstate New York, for something smaller and more affordable. Although the military has provided him with good health insurance, it will not cover all medical costs that will accrue.
We are blessed to have Roswell Park Cancer Institute essentially in our backyard, however must travel over an hour one way many times a week, which is becoming too painful for my father. Therefore, we find ourselves staying in hotels, or my sisters and I making the trip each day to meet him and my mother to attend his appointments. It is likely that he will have surgery in the near future, and will then receive the planned most aggressive form of chemotherapy three times a week every other week.
As mentioned before, endless gratitude and thanks from my entire family for all support and prayers, and I personally will be forever indebted to anyone that is able to make any amount of donation both monetary and/or in prayer in the future. My father is the strongest man that I have ever known, a loyal and loving husband and father, and even having nothing would still give the shirt off his own back to absolutely anyone in need. Regardless of the current situation and the amount of pain he is constantly in, he remains in good spirits and always manages to keep a smile on our faces.
I can't understand why this is happening to our family, especially having him just return home after fourteen long and weary months away. However, I know that God does not give his soldiers more than they can handle. Ray Wilcox is forever a soldier, and "Mission: Kick Cancer" is underway. He is not one who leaves anything started unfinished, and I have all the faith in the world that he will beat this. I pray that with your help, we are able to provide him the comfort and relief that the doctors cannot. Thank you beyond words in advance, and may the Lord bless you and keep you.
Organizer and beneficiary
Rebecca Katharine
Organizer
Jamestown, NY
Sandra Wilcox
Beneficiary