💛 Darrell Kroulik’s Story
Cabin 5 | September 19–21, 2025 | Sure Game Wilderness Resort

Cancer has been a part of Darrell Kroulik’s life for far too long. He lost his father to the disease in 1989, when Darrell was just 25 years old. Then, in 2012 — almost to the day — he lost his older brother to cancer as well.

As his wife of only two years at the time, I urged Darrell to begin regular cancer screenings. Several months after his brother’s passing, those screenings revealed the first of what would become about a dozen skin cancers over the next decade. For nearly 10 years, Darrell underwent minor surgeries again and again to remove new cancers that were discovered at his regular dermatologist visits every three to six months.

But in the summer of 2023, everything changed. During a routine visit, the dermatologist noticed a large tumor growing on Darrell’s face and immediately sent it for a biopsy. The results showed a very rare and aggressive cancer — rhabdomyosarcoma, also known as soft tissue sarcoma or head and neck cancer.

Darrell’s oncology team took an aggressive treatment approach. He was hospitalized for five days every 21 days to receive continuous chemotherapy. But despite their efforts, his condition continued to worsen for the next nine months. He was so sick that I truly feared I was going to lose him.

When a second type of chemotherapy failed to work, his doctors switched to immunotherapy — and that decision changed everything. In the 15 months since, the transformation has been nothing short of a miracle. The treatment gave me back my true companion and husband of 15 years.

Today, Darrell is doing well. While his type of cancer is not considered curable, he will continue receiving immunotherapy indefinitely — as long as his body tolerates it. We are deeply grateful for each and every day we have together.