Kevin & Candace
Hi, :)
Most of you who know Kevin & I whether individually or as a couple know that he & I've had a number of trials the last few years. (To say the least). We'd also went through quite a bit in our own individual lives before we reconnected from high school on the phone.
We fell in true love talking on the phone. After 7 months Kevin came to Long Beach to be with me. We'd never even held hands & we knew we were soulmates. We were so happy we had countdown apps on our phones before he arrived. In February of 2016 Kevin left his job as a counselor for combat PTSD Vets in Oregon and moved to Long Beach. I couldn't believe he'd come to Long Beach? He hates the city. He's a country boy. But he said as long as he was with me he'd be happy anywhere. He was supposed to get a job at the VA in Long Beach & about 1 1/2 months into our relationship we found out Kevin had colon, esophageal, and stomach cancer. We were devastated. He went through 6 mos of chemo & he & I tried to stay positive through it all. I think we did pretty well. Thankfully he made it through.
I hated the city too though, but it was where I had to be at the time. I didn't live in 'shall we say' the most reputable part of Long Beach, but it's what I could afford. We were struggling every month to get by & I also wanted a better place for Dylan to go to middle school & high school. After Kevin met my family in July that year, Kevin & I decided to move to Logan. We sold pretty much everything to afford the move. When we finally found a house here in Logan we moved in with like NO furniture hardly! We loved the house. It was old just like he & I both like. We went through a number of challenges health-wise with Kevin while we were there but we were okay. Then....after only 10 months the house was sold out from under us. We had to scramble to find a place & the money for the deposit & rent, etc... It was so beyond stressful & was at the worst time to find a place in a college town.
We got through that & found the place we're in. We love it here. It's beautiful, the neighbors are the greatest, the house is great, Kevin has his shop. But since we've been here Kevin broke his shoulder last year and had to have surgery, he also had to have knee surgery. Kevin got hit by a car that ran a red light & our car got totaled. Thankfully Kevin came out of it with minor injuries. We went without a car for months. I got super sick last year also. Found out I had a metabolic disorder called hemochromatosis. I'd also gotten acute hepatitis most likely from catching mono last year & I also had a kidney blockage that was becoming toxic so 2 surgeries & that seems gone now although I still suffer some aftermath from the other stuff. And let's just say I met my deductible. Our cherished dog Bodie died recently. And there's been 50 different things in between.
We're confused by all of it? He & I feel like we're good people. We put good out there. And now here we sit in this house we love that we've (Kevin) have put so much work into & we were just served a 30 day notice a couple of days ago because the owners are selling. We're devastated & can't believe we have to take another blow like this?
The thing is because I was so ill, I was on short term disability. While am soooo glad I had the insurance it was still only 67% of my salary & he & I are still playing so much catch up. We barely make it to the end of the month & now we have to come up with the money for a deposit, first months rent, uhaul. All of that to move. We're not in a position to buy the house and that's heart wrenching. Because we so would if we could. My garden will still be going when we move. :'(
I'm working really hard on how to cope with yet one more thing & so is Kevin & we are so trying to be there for each other while both not knowing what to do? My bestie Amy Elwell Umphlett from high school who was my closest, closest friend reached out to see how I was doing & in our conversation she suggested that I should reach out to our LCHS Bobcat Family with a GoFundMe. I said that it was a great idea, but that it would be embarrassing. I should be further ahead financially at the age of 47. But then I realized I need to be humble. Humility is one of the hardest things for people right? So I need to work on that apparently.
We're humbly asking if anyone can help in even the smallest way we would be beyond grateful. Kevin & I just want to live this second chapter of our lives now that we've found each other in some kind of peace and I want to sing to him in the kitchen again & we want to be in the mood to dance in the garage together again.
He and I say love you to you all,
Candace & Kevin