Hey all - One month ago, our world completely changed. Our dad was diagnosed with a rare and very aggressive form of leukemia. After an unexpected emergency hospital stay and a bone marrow biopsy over Easter weekend, our family received the news that he has cancer — something we never imagined we would be facing. Since then, life has been a whirlwind of hospital visits, tests, long nights, and trying to navigate this new reality. Thankfully, his hematologist transferred his care to Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, the best cancer center in the state, and we are incredibly grateful he is receiving such amazing care. Right now, our dad is undergoing chemotherapy and is expected to remain hospitalized for over a month. This journey is going to be a long process, but if there’s one thing we know about our dad, it’s that he is one of the toughest people we know. We fully believe he is going to beat this. To help support our parents during this time, Cassie and I have temporarily moved to Venice so we can be closer and help however we can. My sisters, mom, and I have been rotating nights at the hospital (2 hours away) while continuing to work full-time, trying to make sure someone is always by his side. Due to these circumstances and the intensity of treatment, our dad is no longer able to work. Because we are spending most of our time at the hospital or staying in hotels nearby, we don’t have regular access to a kitchen or the ability to cook meals. One of the biggest ways you can help our family right now is by sponsoring a meal! You can shoot me a Venmo to sponsor dinner for him one night (he is definitely getting sick of the hospital food, as you can probably imagine, plus his tastebuds are messed up from chemo), or use any of the gift card options here. Gas and hotel contributions would also mean so much to our family during this time with the traveling back and forth and staying overnight. A major part of his treatment process will also be finding a bone marrow donor and eventually undergoing a bone marrow transplant. Once that happens, he will be required to stay close to Moffitt for an extended period of time for recovery and monitoring. These funds will help us make sure he has a temporary place to live in Tampa with family nearby while he continues treatment and recovery. Between hospital cafeteria food, takeout, hotels, gas, and the uncertainty of what the next several months will look like, the expenses have added up quickly. Having meals, travel, and temporary housing costs covered would take a huge weight off our shoulders and allow us to focus fully on supporting our dad through treatment. So many people have reached out asking how they can help, and we truly cannot express how thankful we are for the love, support, donations, and kindness our family has received during this incredibly difficult time. If you aren't able to support financially but still want to help - please get tested to be a bone marrow match not only for our dad but for others battling this awful cancer. You can sign up here: https://my.nmdp.org/ It's free and easy. Just join the registry and your kit will get sent to your house! From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for helping our family through this.