Don't Let Cancer Steal The Blanchette's Home

• Thank you for taking the time to read this. Like any parent, it is devastating to watch your child or children go through the unimaginable. For us, this is the third time. These two special people have been helping others in the Redmond, Oregon community for years. Rich and Bridget have five children ranging from 9-24 who need us to come together to support their parents.

Rich has been a general contractor here in Central Oregon for 25 years. He worked with Heart of Oregon Youth Build which is a national program that works with underserved and at-risk youth to help them obtain a high school diploma or GED. Most of the students have parents that are incarcerated, experienced issues with drugs and/or alcohol abuse and have completely dysfunctional lifestyles. Heart of Oregon Youth Build partnered with Habitat for Humanity and other organizations to build homes for families who would never have been able to be homeowners without this program. Rich would train these young people who had no construction knowledge, and he would very patiently teach them construction techniques and life skills. Together they would build homes that were able to be purchased by low-income families. Everyone in our community won!

Rich was diagnosed with Synovial Sarcoma in 2013 and spent just under a year at OHSU in Portland, coming home for short intermittent periods of time. He underwent chemo, surgery, more chemo, and radiation. He has been monitored regularly with imaging frequently since that time. In 2017, the cancer metastasized into his lungs, and he has three wedge resections to remove the cancer. In May of this year a large mass was discovered in his lungs, chest cavity and pericardial sac. He was scheduled to have it surgically removed but it grew at such a rapid rate, it became inoperable. He was told his only option was to start chemo three days later and he was at risk of a life-ending event before starting chemo. Rich is currently undergoing three extremely high dose intensive chemotherapy inpatient therapy treatments for 120 hours every three weeks.

Rich has beat this cancer once and he is one tough, kind, and loving man who we believe can do it again! This time, he needs your help to do it! Rich can no longer do the building he taught others to do. His body is not strong enough to continue building their home himself. The money they saved was to purchase materials as Rich would be the one building their forever home. This may sound undoable for one to build their own home, but not for Rich.

Due to his diagnosis, he has accepted the fact that they will now have to outsource to finish building their home; the money they saved is simply not enough now. Your prayers, kindness, and any financial assistance will help Rich and Bridget complete the home of their dreams. Continuing this project with certainly boost Rich’s spirit to see their home rise and grow to fruition as Rich battles his way to restored health.