Dan Wyrick's Cancer Treatment and Expenses

If you're here reading this, then you likely know Dan Wyrick as one of the most engaging, caring and dedicated Science teachers on the planet - yes, the PLANET. You may have met him for the first time in the classroom as a junior high school science student, or maybe out in the Nevada desert searching for fossils. It's possible your first sighting of him was as a parent; watching him herd your child safely through the slippery tidepools of the Mendocino Coast, clad in well-worn tennis shoes, wearing a black garbage bag to protect from the rain, and triumphantly holding some kind of marine creature to showcase the wonders of the natural world. Perhaps as an aspiring teacher, you yourself had an opportunity to attend a course during which he shared his vast experience of how to engage, delight, and inspire students of all ages to take an interest in nature and STEM. You could have studied the science textbooks he edited as an elementary student. Or seen him share the simple and captivating chemistry of purple cabbage water with little ones during church service story time. The point of this is, Dan has been sharing his love for nature and science with people for over 50 years, and has had an impact that reflects that passion and dedication.

If you're reading this, you also likely know that Dan has recently been diagnosed with inoperable Stage 4 Metastatic Pancreatic Cancer. Although this diagnosis is devastating and life-shifting for Dan and his family, he has made the choice to continue doing what he loves best for as long as he can. Field trips. Nature walks. Science labs. Shark dissections. Outside of spending time with his family (and fishing), this is what Dan loves most in life and he has no intention of letting his illness slow him down any more than it absolutely has to.

So many of you have shared your sympathy and love and emotional support, and a large portion have asked if there is anything concrete that you can do to help and support Dan and his family during this challenging time. This offer of help is what led Dan's daughters Aimee and Emilie to put together this Go Fund Me page to help support their dad and mom in a concrete and financial way. We have set an estimated goal of $20k to help with medical expenses involved in his cancer treatment and care, with any funds raised beyond that goal going towards supporting the science programs at Lodi Adventist Elementary and Academy, as well as Albion Field Station. Your support is appreciated beyond measure, in any amount you feel able to share. This fund will help Dan to move forward with continuing to share his love for the natural world without worrying about the financial impacts of his cancer treatment. It is a gift that goes beyond supporting the individual - it allows his positive impact to continue for as long as he is able to keep going, and gives those of you who asked for a way to actively support him to do so. We thank you so much for your gift and are so humbled by the overwhelming support and love.