Help the Stotts Family after Rick’s Passing

I am writing this to you all with a very heavy heart and hoping you have a moment to read this. This past Tuesday February 25th, 2025 my father-in-law, Rick, went into sudden cardiac arrest in the early hours of the morning in his home. He was found down unresponsive and blue by his wife and CPR was started by his son, Bear, and his wife, Kaitlyn, until EMS arrived and took over. He was given CPR and life-saving resuscitation efforts for over an hour until they were able to get his pulses back. He is currently in the cardiac ICU on a ventilator in critical condition and is not stable. He is in heart failure now and has aspiration pneumonia and his kidneys are now failing. We do not know what to expect as the coming days will be filled with unknowns and trial and error as his medical team attempts to stabilize him and determine his neurological function after having been without a pulse and adequate oxygenation for such a long period of time. As many of you know, his son Adam (also known as Bear) was diagnosed with a rare form of stage 4 prostate cancer that had spread extensively to his bones this past summer (2024) at the young age of 31. Bear has been going to chemo and radiation an hour away nearly every single day for many months. Bear missed his radiation appointment to stay at the hospital with his dad on Tuesday morning after doing CPR on him until EMS arrived. The family is now in dire straits. Rick is the primary provider for the family (financially, and in many other ways) as his son is going through aggressive cancer treatment and has been unable to work since early last summer. The family had to take on enormous financial responsibility in order to renovate the home to accommodate his medical needs during his cancer therapy which they are struggling to pay off. This financial strain paired with Bear’s ongoing medical bills as he has not been able to work during this long period of time have been staggering. Now Rick is fighting for his life and the bills are becoming even more of a strain on the family. Deb is not able to work at this time as she has to be at the bedside with Rick as his primary decision maker. Rick is a man that does anything and everything for the people he loves and anyone he meets. He is a “yes man”, always answering the call to help others and never takes a break. We would do anything we could to help him and heal him through this. We ask that you please keep Rick and the family in your thoughts and prayers at this time. We also ask that you take a moment to share this for the family and donate if you are able. Truly, any amount helps. Rick became my second dad the moment I met him, when I began dating his daughter Ashley. He has been calling me his daughter from the very beginning. Now I am married into the family and couldn’t be any prouder to be a part of this incredible family. Rick is one of a kind and they just don’t make men like him anymore. He is the foundational rock of this family and we can’t imagine life without him. Please assist me in helping this family. They deserve so much better than what the world has been giving them lately. To say that we are heartbroken is an understatement. Thank you from the bottom of my heart, on behalf of the Stotts family, and for Rick.