A Helping Hand

Amidst a contrasting beauty, our world at times seems smothered with tragedy.  I have a neighbor who three years ago was diagnosed with a malignant skin melanoma in a mole behind his ear. No one wants a cancer diagnosis, but as they go this was minor.  The doctors took care of it and he continued with his schooling to become a nurse anesthetist.

However, last October he awoke in the night to a searing headache.  They took him to the ER where they discovered the cancer had come back and a sizable tumor had developed in his brain. Worse, the cancer had spread to his lungs; Stage 4.

In the past few years I have learned more about cancer than I care to know, as various friends have been harmed or taken by cancer.  Stage 4 is the one you don't get to walk away from.

My neighbor Mike, his wife, and their three little ones are trying to enjoy what time they have left together. However, school debt and growing medical bills burden them with worry. Some folks in the neighborhood are sponsoring a 5k to help raise some funds.

Another neighbor has started a GoFundMe site to help alleviate some of this family's struggles. The power of the internet lies with, not a few doing much, but many hands assisting. This blog gets one to three thousand reads a month.  I don't make a habit of passing the offering plate, but if the readers here would consider skipping a Starbucks run and donating 5 dollars (or more), we could help give this newly created project a jumpstart.

Take a moment to go to the site, watch the video (much of which was shot in the park behind my house), and please donate.  If you could link this to any of your social media, that would also be appreciated. Thanks everyone!

GoFundMe site for Mike Emery.