Hello, and thank you for visiting our GoFundMe campaign. We are reaching out to our community, friends, and family with a heartfelt plea for support. Our parents, Don and Candy Walker, are bravely fighting Don's oral cancer and they need your help to cover living expenses during their recovery journey.

The Story

In June 2022, Don began to experience a persistent pain in his upper jaw. Being without insurance at the time, he treated it as best he could and had it initially assessed by a dentist that could not reveal what was happening. Across a series of months he lost teeth at pace and the pains became worse and worse. Upon a reassessment and an oncology consult in April 2023, it was confirmed on May 5 that Don was experiencing oral cancer that had metastasized across various parts of his jaw and adjoining soft tissues. From there our parents navigated the complicated path towards securing VA health insurance, screenings, and coordinating a care plan amongst a bevy of medical teams and different hospitals.

On July 19, 2023 Don underwent nearly 15 consecutive, arduous hours of surgery that removed his upper right jaw and mandible (incisors to molars), upper palate, and a portion of his nose.

Bone and tissue from his legs were grafted to reconstruct his face, a process that we endlessly marvel over. Unexpectedly, immediate post-op recovery had myriad complications including 7 weeks battling pneumonia as Don was in three different care facilities and hospitals. He finally returned home on September 25. Because of the nature of his reconstructive surgery, the physical therapy has been two-fold addressing speech and oral capacity while slowly regaining ambulatory motor function. He has impressed his physical and speech therapists with his diligence despite having lost more than 130 pounds over the course of his cancer, operation, and recovery period. Further, he had to have all but six of his remaining teeth removed before radiation and chemo as the radiation damages the bone and could cause further complications down the road. To say this past year has been intense would be a gross understatement.

As many before us know, the road to recovery is a long and demanding one and the financial burdens are mounting. As they battle this disease, our parents are faced with an impossible Catch-22: either complete the prescribed plan of radiation, chemotherapy, and rest, contending with little meaningful income between them -or- return to working full-time and compromise any chance towards full recovery. Before this challenge, Don was the near-sole income earner in their household and it will surprise no one that he really wants to work. He has maintained a few video productions, but what he is able to do is very limited at best. Again, jumping fully back into full-time labor would be fundamentally detrimental to any positive outcome. While both parents are now applying for disability benefit, it may be upwards of six months before that may be approved and take effect. They face car payments, property taxes, utility bills, groceries, care and support for two teenagers who they have been conservators for five years, and other essential expenses that cannot be postponed – on top of the complicated medical procedures that are not fully covered.

Why We Need Your Support

1. Maintaining a Stable Home: The stability of a secure and comfortable home environment is essential for Don's recovery. Your contribution will help ensure they have a safe place to heal. There is currently a $3,000 property tax bill that needs to be addressed and $500/mo in additional debts.

2. Utility Bills and Groceries: Basic necessities like electricity, communications, water, and groceries are indispensable during the recovery process. Your support will help cover these crucial expenses that currently have back bills of $700 for their shut-off gas and average $1,700/mo.

3. Transportation and Medical Costs: Getting to and from medical appointments and follow-up treatments can be expensive. Your donations will assist with transportation (average $1,150/mo) and medical-related expenses ($100k+ accrued thus far with varying amounts addressed by VA benefits).

4. Reducing Stress: By helping our parents with their living expenses, you're providing peace of mind, allowing them to focus on their recovery rather than financial pressures.

How You Can Help

Your support is invaluable during this tumultuous period for the Walkers. Here are some ways you can make a difference–

1. Donate: Any contribution, no matter how big or small, will directly help our parents cover their living expenses while they focus on Don's recovery. Recurring donations are particularly powerful, making for a consistent foundation that can be relied upon. Our goal is to secure upwards of six months worth of income to cover these expenses.

2. Share: Please share this campaign with your friends, family, and social networks. Spreading the word can help us reach our goals faster and provide much-needed relief to our parents.

3. Words of Encouragement: Leave a message of support and encouragement for Don and Candy. Knowing they have a strong support system can provide the emotional strength needed for their journey.

Conclusion

Don and Candy are not just battling cancer; they are fighting for their day-to-day, for an opportunity to live in health and peace of mind. Your kindness and generosity are instrumental in making this fight a little less challenging.

Don is not just a survivor of this cancer; he is facing it as that of Wordsworth's "Happy Warrior," a state familiar to many in his life. The same candor and overly-generous spirit that has led him time and again to give of himself for the expressed benefit of others instead of personal gain (or even at great cost to their livelihood!) is now hopefully coming full circle as we seek aid from our community. His strength and resilience has been matched part and parcel by our mother and together they face the ongoing challenges of this ordeal head-on. We are incredibly proud of their determination to regain their health and return to some semblance of normalcy.

Thank you for being a part of this journey. Your support is a beacon of hope and an invaluable lifeline during this difficult time. Together, we can help Don recover and thrive, ensuring that our parents' lifetimes of selfless giving can be matched in-kind.