Rick Carlson Memorial Fund
Donation protected
Yesterday the earth lost a special person. Rick died due to complications from cancer, he was 51. He was a wonderful provider, father and husband. We’ve been together 24 years and married for almost 20. The best thing that happened to us was Julia and you know the worst thing.
Sunday July 15th, 18 we were having a lovely day post World Cup party and Rick mentioned UCLA had emailed him his results to a CT Scan he had and I asked to read them. The results told us he had cancer I called him into the kitchen and said, “Rick, you have cancer”. The worse words one can say. From there it began 7 weeks of grueling treatment. It’s crazy how much our lives changed. He was given a positive prognosis, so I never thought I’d be writing this, 7 months of living hell and he still didn’t survive. I already miss him so much we did so many fun things together, travel, our passion for music, sports, soccer games etc.
We could never get through this without the amazing support of all our friends. Rick’s nurse called them “my angels” who surrounded me yesterday. I don’t know what I would do without my angels, and so many others, parents of Julia’s friends, Julia’s amazing peer friends, Rick's friends near and far, of course our families and our jobs. Both Anthem and Technical Connections have been beyond amazing. I’ve gotten so many messages it’s wonderful to feel so loved. I haven’t had the energy to write back yet but want you to know how much each message means to me. I will post service details once I have them.
I LOVE THIS COMMUNITY, WE THANK YOU.
Love, Jen, Rick and Julia
I'm Helen MacKinnon and have known Jen since Julia was less than one, which means about 14 years. She has been an invaluable member of the Technical Connections family who consistently exhibits intelligence and integrity on a daily basis. All of our hearts go out to Jen and Julia at this tragic time. it is my privilege to be able to set up this Gofundme account to help Jen defray the funeral and medical costs incurred because of this terrible disease and to give them a little breathing space so that they can get back on their feet.
I had lunch with Jen yesterday and she is doing as well as can be expected under the circumstances. Those of us who know her see her beauty and strength, which is so clear under these horrible circumstances. She is extremely grateful to everyone who has contributed and reached out, but is not ready to respond to texts and phone calls just yet. There are no words to thank all of you.
Sunday July 15th, 18 we were having a lovely day post World Cup party and Rick mentioned UCLA had emailed him his results to a CT Scan he had and I asked to read them. The results told us he had cancer I called him into the kitchen and said, “Rick, you have cancer”. The worse words one can say. From there it began 7 weeks of grueling treatment. It’s crazy how much our lives changed. He was given a positive prognosis, so I never thought I’d be writing this, 7 months of living hell and he still didn’t survive. I already miss him so much we did so many fun things together, travel, our passion for music, sports, soccer games etc.
We could never get through this without the amazing support of all our friends. Rick’s nurse called them “my angels” who surrounded me yesterday. I don’t know what I would do without my angels, and so many others, parents of Julia’s friends, Julia’s amazing peer friends, Rick's friends near and far, of course our families and our jobs. Both Anthem and Technical Connections have been beyond amazing. I’ve gotten so many messages it’s wonderful to feel so loved. I haven’t had the energy to write back yet but want you to know how much each message means to me. I will post service details once I have them.
I LOVE THIS COMMUNITY, WE THANK YOU.
Love, Jen, Rick and Julia
I'm Helen MacKinnon and have known Jen since Julia was less than one, which means about 14 years. She has been an invaluable member of the Technical Connections family who consistently exhibits intelligence and integrity on a daily basis. All of our hearts go out to Jen and Julia at this tragic time. it is my privilege to be able to set up this Gofundme account to help Jen defray the funeral and medical costs incurred because of this terrible disease and to give them a little breathing space so that they can get back on their feet.
I had lunch with Jen yesterday and she is doing as well as can be expected under the circumstances. Those of us who know her see her beauty and strength, which is so clear under these horrible circumstances. She is extremely grateful to everyone who has contributed and reached out, but is not ready to respond to texts and phone calls just yet. There are no words to thank all of you.
Organizer and beneficiary
Helen MacKinnon
Organizer
Los Angeles, CA
Jen Carlson
Beneficiary
