Support for Auntie Annie in Loving Memory of Uncle Rian

Hey, I'm Janssen. My Auntie Annie is the strongest role model I have, and I am so lucky to be related to her. She has had to jump many undeserved hurdles, yet her faith and grace are both unshaken and commendable. She is always engaged and present, and the purest representation of everything good in the world. Even the wildest of animals flock to and find comfort with her. Annie has been a constant inspiration for kindness, empathy, and strength throughout my life.

Annie has recently been dealt a really hard hand. She was diagnosed with lung cancer and had to get her left upper lobe removed, putting her out of work and on the long road to recovery. She was finally declared cancer-free and started her physical therapy journey in May of last year.

Soon after her own cancer and surgical butt-kicking, her husband and my uncle, Rian, was hospitalized for symptoms of a stroke, forcing him out of work. She had to put a pause on her own physical therapy after finding out that he had a massive brain tumor indicating glioblastoma, an aggressive brain cancer. After the tumor-removal surgery on October 25th of last year, he lost all functioning on his left side and started his own physical therapy. The hospital decided to move him to a rehabilitation center without the necessary PT programs he needed, since they would no longer honor his VA insurance. She would drive long hours just to visit him. Rian faced sepsis twice, COVID twice, medication-induced pneumonia and kidney problems, blood clots, a heart attack, and other complications throughout his hospitalization. Many of these issues were caused by the high dosage of blood thinner he was given.

After many months of fighting, he passed away on April 29, 2024, with Annie by his side. He succumbed to the blood thinner he was being treated with, causing him to bleed out. The brain tumor never returned. Rian was a paratrooper in the 82nd Airborne Division, drove and modified stock cars professionally for fifteen years with NASCAR, was a construction engineer, advocated for and supported the native Tule River tribe, and was an expert hunter with an authentic cowboy demeanor. I will always remember my Uncle Rian as the most badass, most composed, and most honorable rock to my aunt. His biggest concern throughout his fight with cancer was taking care of his Annie. The love of his life.

Three days before Uncle Rian passed, their dog, Miles, fell gravely ill. Annie was not even able to be at Miles' side when he had to be put to sleep, as she was by Rian's side while a team of doctors engaged in emergency coding processes to resuscitate him. Miles could leap twice the size of a ten-year-old me when I first met him. It was impossible for that dog not to leave his imprint.

With both her dog and her lifetime love gone, Annie has been left to pick up all the pieces. She lost months of income and accrued all the costs that come with hospital care. I would appreciate, more than I have appreciated anything before, if I could provide Annie a shred of relief in her grief. As much as I, and I know my auntie, hate asking for support, taking to GoFundMe is the only way I feel like I could make a direct impact. There are countless medical bills, home expenses, funeral and post-mortem costs that are tough for even the most well-off to manage. Plus, she has to return to the physical therapy she needs to get better herself.

I understand donating may be impossible for some, but simply sharing their story and keeping my Uncle Rian's memory alive would be a very treasured and special thing.

You will be dearly missed and fondly remembered, Uncle Rian Aldrich. And Auntie Alison Aldrich will always be considered a superhero and now, his guardian angel.