Help Bill Beat Cancer

Last month my dad, William Ribalkin found out he has a 7cm tumour on his left lung. After countless scans and two biopsies, he was recently diagnosed with stage IV small cell lung cancer (SCLC) that has spread to his liver and spine. This diagnosis has rocked my entire family but, my dad is a fighter and through every adversity he has faced in his life he has become a better person because of it. My dad's battle with SCLC is going to be a long hard fight, but he is committed to beating his illness and coming out the other side stronger than ever before.

 

 

 

 

My name is Charlotte and myself along with my two siblings Chelsey and Patrick wanted to start this fundraiser to raise some funds to help ease the stresses my dad's cancer has brought onto my dad and mum. Our parent's have given us the life many children dream about. They have been nothing but supportive, loving and generous throughout our lives so my siblings and I would love to be able to ease their stress in this difficult time with the help of our friends, family and community.

 

Due to the rare and aggressive nature of Small Cell lung cancer (only diagnosed in 10% of all lung cancer cases), my dad must undergo a rigorous Chemotherapy treatment plan which includes three full days of chemo back to back in a 21 day cycle. to make matters worse, because of COVID-19 he is also required to be alone for the majority of his appointments, including when he found out he had a tumour, his biopsy and when he received his diagnosis of cancer. Having to be alone in these important doctors appointments has weighed heavy on my dad's mental health and added an extra layer to this already hard time.

 

The cancer spread has exacerbated my dad's symptoms and has caused him to be in a great deal of pain. The cancer that has spread to his spine has unfortunately cause a fracture in his spine and has made it near impossible for my dad to walk. Due to the tremendous amount of pain he is in day to day, he is not able to work at his job as a Haul Truck Driver at Highland Valley Copper Mine and relies on a wheelchair and walker to get around.

 

Being unable to work has been a huge devastation to my dad as he prides himself on his ability to provide for his family and his unwavering service to others. With my dad off work, the responsibility has fallen onto my mum who is a small business owner that runs her own daycare from her house. Not only is my mum supporting my dad through his cancer diagnosis by taking him to his appointments, making sure he takes his pain medication and making him as comfortable as he can be, she is also working 5 days a week to be able to cover their regular expenses such as their mortgage, groceries and bills.

 

 

 

We would like to use the donations from this GoFundMe fundraiser to help take the pressure off of both of my parents while my dad fights his cancer like hell and my mum supports him every step of the way. My dad has a long and difficult fight ahead of him and the last thing we want is for them to be worried about money or bills while he is trying to heal and get better. We want them both to be able to focus on my dad getting healthy and strong and spending the time they have together not worried about the financial strain my dad's diagnosis has put on them.

 

We would also like to put the donations from this GoFundMe Fundraiser towards making my parent's house more wheelchair accessible which would include installing ramps, handrails and wheelchair friendly supports in the bathrooms. These modifications would ensure that my dad could be as comfortable as possible in his home while he deals with his disease.

 

If we have learned anything, it is that we can't fight this alone. It can be a very hard to ask for help but if there were ever a time to ask, it would be now. We know that with the help of our friends, family and the community, we can do a really good thing and help our parents be as secure and comfortable as possible while my dad battles cancer.

 

My dad is one of my best friend's in life and I want him to be able to, see me get married, meet his grandchildren, and savour every moment life has to offer. Any donation you can make will help make that possible. Thank you so much for your support, your donations and your words of encouragement in this difficult time.

 

 

 

Myself along with my family will never be able to put into words how grateful we are to each and every one of you who took the time to read our story and help support us through this unimaginable time. We will continue to update you all on my dad's journey and lastly, we hope all of you go out and savour every last drop of what life has to offer, because life is too short and too complicated not to. #fuckcancer