Help Will Guild's Family Navigate Medical Emergency

Hello friends, my name is Esther Greene, and I am posting this fundraiser on behalf of the Guild Family - Will, Katie, and Liam (along with especially handsome service pups Merle and Glyn). Affectionately known as Big Will, he is a retired Navy Master Chief with 30 years of service as a Navy SEAL.

Will and Katie (who some of you may know as author C.E. Morgan) met at a meditation retreat in New Mexico in 2016 and welcomed their now seven-year-old son Liam soon after.

On May 1st, Will had a seizure and was rushed to the emergency room. He underwent emergency brain surgery where a lesion was discovered and biopsied. Later that night, a bleed was detected, and he was rushed back into surgery. Will thankfully survived the surgery, but he is now intubated and only minimally responsive, and he has been diagnosed with Stage 4 brain cancer and a hemorrhagic stroke. He has mostly lost right side function, and his doctors are concerned that his verbal and cognitive function has been significantly impaired. Stroke recovery can take a long time but is possible, and there are some incredible stories within the SEAL community of men surviving this exact cancer for many years - including men with Stage 4. They’re a tough crew, to say the least.

Will is lucky to have some of the best doctors in the state, but this all happened very unexpectedly and has put the family in a dire situation. It’s not clear that his wife Katie can continue working. Katie and his mother Lucile are commuting between home and the hospital an hour away in Roanoke as the situation continues to develop, but the current best-case scenario involves a very long recovery journey with a need for around-the-clock care.

We are seeking donations to help cover medical costs not covered by the VA, transportation, hotel costs, as well as emergency funds, and kennel costs as they await VA assistance. There is a tremendous need for childcare as Katie has been an all-present parent, providing part-time homeschool and utilizing only infrequent babysitting. She has never spent a night away from Liam aside from a hospital stay. Any and all donations are greatly appreciated and would mean so much to the family. Thank you all so much.

Esther (long-time friend of the family; I’ve known Katie for 25 years)