Taylon Cogar

"On April 1st, 2014 16 year old Taylon Cogar was given news that he only wished could have been a bad April fools joke … he had cancer.

Just the day before, this athletic teen had been envisioning a spring filled with baseball. Having just landed a spot on the Kalispell Lakers baseball team in Montana, he was excited about what was to come. Unfortunately, what started out as a presumed knee injury from football the previous fall, quickly turned into something more as Taylon was diagnosed with osteosarcoma, or bone cancer. The next words uttered were tumor, cancer, and biopsy in Salt Lake City, UT.

Osteosarcoma is seen most often in teenage boys, and like Taylon’s case, it typically involves the knee. Taylon underwent several MRI scans and biopsies that determined the cancer had also spread to his lungs. Because of his age, and the fact that the cancer has spread, it is considered Stage 4.

In the coming months his family will seek treatment for Taylon both in Salt Lake City, UT as well as Montana. Taylon will be undergoing chemotherapy, and the doctors have also said he will need knee replacement surgery.

Your thoughts and prayers during this time are greatly appreciated. We pray for discernment for the medical physicians treating Taylon, we pray strength for his family as they guide him through this journey, and ultimately we pray for total and complete healing for Taylon.

Regardless of whether you know the family personally or not, anyone can understand what an emotionally draining experience this is. As a parent your only concern is being there for your child, being available to meet their needs, and the needs of your other children.

Often when something happens to a friend or loved one we want to help, but we don’t know how. With Darren & Susanne’s permission, I have created this page in the hopes that each person reading it finds it in their heart to help the family through daily prayers, and also through the gift of a monetary donation.

100% of the money donated will be given directly to Darren & Susanne to help them in the coming months. There are many unforeseen expenses that arise with a medical diagnosis such as this, and the absolute best gift we can give Darren & Susanne, along with our prayers & support, is the financial assistance necessary to help them through it. The money raised will be used for medical and living expenses not covered by insurance.

Let’s support them as much as we can in this journey, so they can spend precious time supporting Taylon.

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declared the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. So that you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all of your heart.” - Jeremiah 29:11-13"

This was copied from http://www.youcaring.com/medical-fundraiser/the-taylon-cogar-fund/164173. Taylon and I grew up in Kalispell MT together and have shared many memories. A memory I would not like to have is losing my friend to cancer and I'm sure I wouldn't be the only one. Since the site to raise money for Taylon has been started, the Cogars have raised $7,199 of the $10,000 goal and I'm sure would appreciate to raise the rest, please consider helping this effort. Taylon has recieved his knee replacement surgery, had one lung operated on, and will be preparing for the second lung operation. He is still going through extensive chemo therapy and has been going to highschool in Kalispell as well.

Prayers are greatly apprectiated for Taylon and his family. Thank you for your time and consideration in prayers and financial support.

AN UPDATE AS OF 10-27-2015: Taylon's cancer went into remission after both lungs had been operated on, in the winter of 2014. By April 1, 2015 (exactly one year after being diagnosed), Taylon was told he was cancer free. Just months later scans showed tumors in his lungs. Tumors that were inoperable. The only choice left for Taylon was radiation. Just weeks ago, Taylon was experiencing back pain and went to the chiropractor. X-rays and scans later revealed that both lungs had filled with tumors and there was a mass of liquid around the left lung and heart. Taylon was flown to Salt Lake City, where doctors deemed him inoperable and simply gave him radiation to relieve some pain. At the beginning of last week, Taylon and his mother went to Mexico, to bring Taylon to the Hope4Cancer center, where Taylon will receive other varieties of treatments that could potentially help him. At this point in time, it is uncertain whether or not Taylon will survive his bout with cancer, but prayers are definitely focused on him and his family. Please continue to send your best thoughts and prayers towards Taylon and the Cogar family.

AN UPDATE AS OF 01-11-2016: By the grace and will of God, Taylon was taken home to Heaven on December 17, 2016. Taylon fought a strong battle and did not lose. Taylon is survived by his family and friends that will never forget his smiling face and the joy he brought to everyone's world. For me, personally, losing Taylon is something I might never be able to accept to the fullest extent. Taylon was more than a friend of mine; Taylon was my brother.
Taylon, I pray you rest easy and I cannot wait to see you again some day. I love you.

I Aspire to Be...

Recently I read a list of aspirations composed by a group of second graders. I think it would be good for everyone, children and adults alike, to make a list of what they aspire to be or what they want to be when they grow up. Your list might change, mine has quite a bit in the last few months, but it's good to make one, to set goals and try to reach them. They say if you shoot for the moon, you'll fall among the stars. If you're honest with yourself, you'll realize that the closest star is approximately 93 million miles away from the moon, but you can, "Shoot for the stars and at least fall onto the moon", I guess. So here is my list, and I would like to see many more, of What I Aspire to Be...
1. I aspire to be happy.
2. I aspire to be kind.
3. I aspire to be a friend to anyone who needs a friend.
4. I aspire to make a difference in this world. Even if it is a small one.
5. I aspire to enjoy my life.
6. I aspire to not to take anything for granted.
7. I aspire to be strong.
8. I aspire to try my hardest, because that's all I can give.
9. I aspire to be courageous.
10. I aspire to not just know things, but understand them as well.
11. I aspire to accept the fact that I, and everyone in this world, is imperfect.
12. I aspire to forgive those who have hurt me.
13. I aspire to stay healthy.
14. I aspire to keep my faith first, my family second, and myself last.
14. I aspire to not complain.
15. I aspire to have a smile to offer everyone.
16. I aspire to continue to learn from my experiences.
17. I aspire to not let everything that has happened to me in the past affect how I live and treat others in the future.
18. I aspire to be known for the good I have done and the God I live for, nothing more, nothing less.
19. I aspire to not let my regrets keep me from making better memories.
20. I aspire to laugh at something, every day.
21. I aspire to have fun and be fun in everything I do.
22. I aspire to love.
23. I aspire to go places.
24. I aspire to have hope at all times.

My list could go on and on, but these mean the most to me. If you can think of just five things every day that you aspire to be, and then put the list somewhere you will see it often, you will want to strive to be each of those things every day and for the rest of your life. You aren't going to live forever, the life expectancy of a woman in the United States is 82, while the life expectancy for a man is 77. It's important that you take advantage of your years while you still have them, you don't get second chances on living.