UPDATE: My usual practice of italicizing a quote here has made this a bit unclear. This isn't a Bull Run GoFundMe, but one set up by friends of the Oats family.



"The past year has been one of the most exciting and difficult in the lives of Nate and Crystal Oats. One of the family dreams was for Nate to one day be a head coach at the college level. This last year that dream was achieved. Yet, in recent months a challenge far greater than that has been placed in their lives. In the past month Crystal was diagnosed with double hit lymphoma. The road ahead for Nate, Crystal and their young girls will be difficult. Treaments that will require days in the hospital and a demanding schedule for Nate will come with great challenges. We are asking you to do 2 important things. First, pray for Nate, Crystal, and the girls. Second, please consider giving. Crystal will be unable to handle many of the day to day tasks and we want to be able to fly family and friends out to be by her side and take care of the house and the girls. We want to be able to have meals ready and family ready to come alongside the girls. Nate and Crystal have poured themselves into many young lives and this is a chance to give back in their time of need."



Coach Oats also posted a message on Facebook:



Eleven days ago my wife Crystal got a call letting her know she had lymphoma based on a CAT scan and some blood work. Since then she's had a PET scan and a biopsy on one of her swollen lymph nodes and it was confirmed with the oncologist at Roswell Park Cancer Institute yesterday that she has Double-Hit lymphoma.

Crystal is the strongest woman I know. She's been there with me every step of the way on my adult journey through life. This Dec 20 we will have been married 18 years, and I can honestly say I know she's exactly what I've needed for a wife. She's everything to me and we will fight this battle together.

This type of lymphoma is an aggressive type and requires an extremely strong regimen of chemotherapy over the next 5-6 months. Life just got real for us in a way I never could have imagined.

Together we have gotten to this stage in my coaching career and Crystal wants me to coach the team this year so while I will give every ounce of energy I have to helping Crystal through this trial, I'll also need to be around a lot more for my 3 wonderful daughters, & still coach this team to the best of my ability.

I probably won't have much extra time for anything else nor do I really want to do much of anything else until I get her through this. I would appreciate all your prayers for our family while we maneuver through all of this for the next few months.

We've taken Phil 4:6-7 as God's message to us for this time. "4:6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; 7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." We don't know why God has chosen to put us through this but we're trusting he knows best for us. We're going to continue to trust in Him and thank him for everything He has given us including this trial. This has already strengthened my relationship with Crystal, my daughters, and my Saviour.



We've debated whether to share this, but Oats' post is public and has been shared widely already, and the GoFundMe page is obviously public. We hope that you respond in whatever way you feel is appropriate.