On Monday, 25 April, ex-marine Willy Joseph Cancel was killed while fighting in Ukraine.
His wife, Brittany, would receive a call the following day to say he had lost his life and that their seven-month-old son, Anthony, had lost his dad.
Now, Willy's father, named Will, has started a GoFundMe in honour of his son.
The GoFundMe was launched to help support Brittany and Anthony and has so far raised more than $66,500.
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In the post, Willy's father describes him as valiant, listing the various positions he held, and details how they came to hear the tragic news.
"Valor – great courage in the face of danger, especially in battle. This one single word says so much about an individual.
"On March 3rd, 2022, our son, Willy Cancel, made the decision to put himself in the face of danger in order to protect the innocent. He said, “I have to do it because nobody else will."
"On April 26th, his wife got the worst call of her life, “Your husband fought bravely but unfortunately he did not make it.” He was just 22 years old."
Willy was a 'true hero', he was a volunteer fireman and devoted father, son, and brother.
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Now, his family are having to readjust to life without their loved one: "Since that April 26th phone call, [Brittany's] life has completely fallen apart and now she has to figure out how to build it back together, to figure out how to raise her son without his father or financial support."
The grieving father says that while the family is trying to support Brittany and Anthony 'as much as possible' they 'will need more than what we can provide'.
"So we are starting this fundraiser to help Willy’s family and alleviate some of the financial burden that Brittany, now a widow and single mother, is facing at young the age of 22.
"She lost her rock, her best friend, her partner and Anthony’s father. And while babies are expensive, Anthony deserves to have the necessities. He will grow up without a father, a father who was brave and selfless and whose life was senselessly lost."
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The father continued to say that 'no parent should ever have to bury a child' and that the family 'graciously ask for any help possible'.
Willy was sent by a private security firm to fight in the war and tragically lost his life supporting Ukrainian forces.
Willy's mother, Rebecca Cabrera, told CNN he 'always put everybody ahead of himself'. "He was just a really thoughtful person. He always put everybody ahead of himself even when situations were so stressful. He always kept everybody laughing and calm. He was the man that stood up when everybody else stood back," she said.
"He believed wholeheartedly this shouldn't have happened and he wanted to go help the people in Ukraine."
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If you would like to donate to the Red Cross Emergency Appeal, which will help provide food, medicines and basic medical supplies, shelter and water to those in Ukraine, click here for more information
Shola Lee